Students who are disengaged or falling behind in high school may be able to find an alternative program that can help them catch up. The Department of Education offers several opportunities for "overage and under-credited" students that are designed to get them back on track.

On this page: Transfer schools | Young Adult Borough Centers | Alternative programs | GED programs

Transfer schools

These are small high schools that are designed to reengage students who have fallen behind. Students must be enrolled in a high school for at least one year prior to applying to a transfer school. Transfer schools are also good options for young adults under the age of 21 who have dropped out of school and want to return to earn a high school diploma.

Each transfer school has its own criteria for admissions. Start with our school search tool to find out more about each of the city's transfer schools. Some schools have a Learning to Work component that helps students with job readiness and career exploration skills.

Young Adult Borough Centers

Young Adult Borough Centers (YABCs) offer evening academic programs and counseling for high school students who are at risk of dropping out because they are behind or they have adult responsibilities that make attending school in the daytime difficult. These centers are usually located at public high school buildings. Students earn a high school diploma from their sending high school once they have accumulated credits and passed exams required for graduation at the YABC.

Admissions: Students ages 17 to 21 years old who have at least 17 credits. To register, contact your high school guidance counselor or one of the program sites.

Alternative programs

While these programs do not grant diplomas, they help students transition back into high school or prepare for the General Education Development (GED) exam. District 79 is the administrative district at the Department of Education that oversees alternative programs. Students between the ages 17 and 20 can contact the Department of Education Youth Helpline at (917) 521-3639 or contact one of their borough referral centers for information on one of the following programs. (For more information about GED programs, skip to the section below.)

• LYFE programs provide childcare services for the young children of students attending a public high school so that they can continue working towards a diploma.
  
  
• The Office of Adult and Continuing Education offers GED preparation, English as a Second Language and career education programs for adults who are 21 years of age or older. Call (917) 521-3789.
  
  
• Court involved students who are 14-17 years old making the transition from custodial to community high schools may attend Community Preparatory High School located at 40 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016. Call the school at: (212) 889-7567 for more information.
  
  
• Re-Start programs offer educational services for students between the ages of 16 and 21 with substance abuse issues who are referred from substance abuse treatment centers, transitional housing, hospitals, social services agencies, and other transitional settings. Students can earn high school credits or prepare for the GED exam.
  
  
• Students with substance abuse problems may also consider Phoenix Academy High School, which offers a 12-14 month residential program for high school students with a substance abuse problem. It provides vocational training, evening school, and summer school. Call the Adolescent Admissions Unit at (212) 831-1555 ext. 7571, 7540, or 7543.
  Address:
  Phoenix Academy High School
  PO Box 458
  Stoney Street
  Shrub Oak, NY 10588
  Phone: (914) 245-6862
  Fax: (914) 245-2990
  

• Career and Technical Education (CTE) schools and programs, traditionally called vocational schools, are good options for students who are looking for hands-on work. The School of Cooperative Technical Education (Co-op Tech) is a Department of Education program that provides additional CTE training for public high school students who are at least 16 years old or who are enrolled in a GED program. Students spend half the day at their regular high school and the other half at Co-op Tech. Co-op Tech also has some programs for adults.

GED Preparation

GED programs help students prepare for the General Equivalency Development exam. Students who pass this exam receive a high school equivalency diploma (rather than a high school diploma). Students pursuing this diploma are required to complete a less extensive academic program than those pursuing a conventional diploma. Therefore, GED diplomas are sometimes not as respected by employers and colleges as high school diplomas. Four-year colleges, for example, will generally not accept students with GEDs, unless they get a superior test score. GED students typically attend two-year community colleges until they have enough credits to transfer into a four-year college.There are a variety of different programs offered but most require that students be between 17 and 20 years old. Full-time and part-time programs are available.

• The Department of Education's District 79 offers a GED Plus program for students between the ages of 17-20 preparing for the GED exam.
• The Office of Multiple Pathways to Graduation, also of the Department of Education, offers GED prep programs with a career preparation focus.
• The Door helps students ages 12-21 with a range of services such as counseling, GED classes, and tutoring. Call (212) 941-9090.
• East Side House Settlement, located in the Bronx, provides GED classes, counseling, computer training, and job placement for young adults ages 17-24.
• YWCA Queens offers GED programs for young adults ages 17-24 in Flushing, among a range of other services such as counseling, literacy, and drop-out prevention. Contact Angela Baek at (718) 353-4553.
• The NYC Vocational Training Center has 50 sites in all five boroughs for students age 17-21. The program helps students receive a GED, vocational training, or a diploma through independent study. Call (718) 245-5730.
• Latin Technologies, Inc. provides GED programs particularly focused on serving new immigrants. Call (718) 371-0140.
  
  

Need to know what's required to get a New York City high school diploma? We tell you here.