Get more from InsideSchools

A Message from InsideSchools: The data below is the most up-to-date data available from City and State systems. We are working hard to update the narratives for all schools. We welcome your insights in the Comments section. Questions? Ask us!

New Voices School of Academic & Creative Arts

Grades: 6-8
Staff Pick Staff Pick for Special Ed
330 18 Street
Brooklyn NY 11215
Phone: 718-965-0390

Our Insights

What’s Special

Strong arts, dedicated staff and welcoming environment

The Downside

Small, cramped facilities with no gym

Harmonies from the musical Grease greet visitors walking the halls of New Voices School of Academic and Creative Arts. Up a flight of stairs, a student's artwork depicting a teen contemplating her body image in a mirror is part of a makeshift gallery. A ten-minute uphill walk through the residential Sunset Park neighborhood, New Voices is a simple route from the Prospect Avenue stop on the R train.

The school delivers on its name offering courses in music, dance, visual arts, graphic arts and drama. Partnerships with organizations such as Theater for a New Audience, Brooklyn Museum of Art and the National Book Foundation help support the school's mission.

Sixth-graders are introduced to chorus, visual arts, theater, instrumental music, graphic arts, and dance, and then specialize in one studio for 7th and 8th grade. The entire school community gets involved in the annual musical theater production. From calling production cues to applying makeup to the actors' faces, each child has some part to play.

The strong arts program complements academic instruction. For example, in addition to writing research papers, 6th grade students created models of ancient Egyptian artifacts such as a pharaoh's bust after a field trip to the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

In all classes teachers introduce basic concepts, then progressively allow students more freedom to control the direction of learning. For example, in humanities (combined course in English and social studies) teachers cover the basic tenants of the Fourth Amendment, then task students with leading discussions on privacy and mass surveillance.

The science program has grown the most in recent years, according to principal Frank Giordano. Students begin 6th grade dissecting earthworms, then move to more complex animals such as rats. Older students study the genetic composition of two generations of fruit flies. By 8th grade some students take high school level courses in algebra and Living Environment. No foreign language is offered in 6th or 7th grade; 8th grade students study French.

Giordano, who has been principal since 2004, has an easy way with the kids. He greets them by name and exchanges jokes with them. Unlike many administrators, he stays connected to the classroom: he teaches a 7th grade life science course each year.

New Voices shares the century-old building with PS 295. Narrow hallways swell with students during class changes and random sprouts of exposed insulation lace radiators. There is no gym, and kids have physical education in a corner of the cafeteria.

Students participate in after-school baseball, soccer, and running club. Other students join MS 88's girls and boys basketball teams.

Many New Voices graduates attend arts and technical arts high schools such as Edward R. Murrow, and LaGuardia.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: The school offers ICT (integrated co-teaching) classes in every grade. As a parent of two children with developmental disabilities, Giordano is sensitive to children with special needs. He says he wants to create a school in which low test scores do not preclude a promising student from having access to the arts.

ADMISSIONS: As part of a district-wide equity plan, all District 15 middle schools use an open admissions method with priority for 52 percent of seats going to students from low-income households (who qualify for the federal free and reduced-price lunch program), students in temporary housing, and English Language Learners. There are no “screens” for admission. To learn more about the D15 Diversity Plan, visit d15diversityplan.com. (Seaira Christian-Daniels, March 2017; updated via web reports, June 2019)

Read more

School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Is this school safe and well-run?

From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey

How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
76%
78% Citywide Average
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
51%
58% Citywide Average
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
100%
84% Citywide Average

From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card

How many students were suspended?
0%
4% Citywide Average

From this school's most recent Quality Review Report

Are teachers effective?

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
92%
79% Citywide Average
Years of principal experience at this school
18.0

How do students perform academically?

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many middle school students scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
85%
46% Citywide Average
How many middle school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
82%
51% Citywide Average

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

How many 8th-graders earn high school credit?
86%
39% Citywide Average

Who does this school serve?

From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Enrollment
527
Asian
8%
Black
7%
Hispanic
39%
White
42%
Other
4%
Free or reduced priced lunch
46%
Students with disabilities
25%
English language learners
5%

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

Average daily attendance
91%
90% Citywide Average
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
33%
38% Citywide Average

From the 2020 School Directories

Uniforms required?
No

How does this school serve special populations?

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
17%
15% Citywide Average


For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Contact & Location

Location

Sunset Park (District 15)
Trains: R Line to Prospect Ave; F Line, G Line to 15th St-Prospect Park
Buses: B37, B61, B63, B67, B68, B69

Contact

Principal
Frank Giordano
Parent Coordinator
Nyrma Parra

Other Details

Shared campus?
Yes
This school shares the building with PS 295
Uniforms required?
No
Metal detectors?
No

Was this information helpful?

Get more from InsideSchools

You may also like …

The Park Slope Educational Complex at (M.S. 88)

544 7th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School (BUGS)

500 19th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Comments

  • Is this your school? Please post any news, updates, events, changes, or other information!
  • We welcome questions, open discussions, and disagreements but comments with personal attacks, rude language, or those with seemingly malicious intent will be deleted.
  • Very long comments, those that contain links, or repeat comments may be blocked by our spam filter.
  • Problems? email us at contact@insideschools.org.
  • Users must comply with our Terms of Use.

×