York Early College Academy, housed in a wing of JHS 8 in Jamaica, has high expectations, a longer school year and an accelerated curriculum that includes college classes at York College for high school juniors and seniors. The average class size is 27, smaller than most New York City middle and high schools.

The school gets high marks from students, parents and teachers. Students say the work is challenging and that their teachers encourage them to succeed, according to the Learning Environment Survey. The school has created an environment in which it’s okay to be smart: students who get good grades are respected, according to the survey. Attendance is high. [Photo from school website]

“Families hold the school in high regard as a place that provides all students with a high quality education,” a reviewer from the Department of Education said after visiting the school.

Some students are worried about security in the area around the school, but they feel safe once they are inside, according to the survey. York Early College Academy has its own entrance to the JHS 8 building.

Beginning in 6^th grade, children are encouraged to think about attending college; many take the algebra Regents exam in 8^th grade and the English Regents exam in 10^th grade—a year early than most high school students. High school juniors and seniors go to the York College campus about a mile from the middle school building; by the time they graduate, some have earned two years of college credit.

York Early College Academy is part of the Early College Initiative at the City University of New York (CUNY), designed to better prepare students for college by exposing them to higher-level academics starting in middle school. Students take enrichment classes in July. They may take part in Poetry Slams, or visit laboratories at York College to see scientists at work.

Principal Deborah Burnett has “a really good relationship with the parents” and “an open door policy,” said Cass Conrad, a CUNY official who provides support to the school.

Special education: The school offers team-teaching classes but it does not have self-contained classes.

Admissions: District 28. For middle school, students who attend an information session get preference. Most students are admitted in 6^th grade, but there are a few seats available in 9^th grade. For high school, admission is screened; students must have average grades of 70 and score at least Level 2 on standardized tests. (Clara Hemphill, interview and statistics, September 2012)