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Our Insights

What’s Special

Small school with a focus on reading and writing

The Downside

Many children miss a month or more of school

School for Excellence, a small school in the Morris Educational Campus, offers lots of support to students. It has a social worker, three guidance counselors, and an on-site health clinic for students and their families, according to the comprehensive educational plan (CEP). 

The school is in one of the poorest congressional districts in the country. Roughly one-third of the students live in homeless shelters, many are still learning to speak English, and about a quarter has special needs. Many are the first in their families to earn a high school diploma.

An attendance team meets weekly and makes home visits. Parents are invited to open houses during the year, and encouraged to visit the school even without an appointment. Nonetheless, getting students to school is a struggle: about three-quarters miss a month of more of school each year.  

Literacy is a school-wide focus. Most children arrive in 9th grade reading below, or far below, grade level, and they struggle with writing. Ninth graders keep daily journals and struggling readers are plugged into highly structured reading programs to practice phonics and grammar. Teens learn how to annotate, take notes, on what they read in all subject areas. The CEP says all teachers work on reading and writing skills.

Although the graduation rate is below the citywide average, some graduates go on to attend two- or four-year colleges. College acceptances include Hunter, SUNY Albany, NYC Technical College, Lehman and Baruch, according to the CEP. 

Founded in 2005, School for Excellence is one of four small schools in the former Morris High School, now known as the Morris Educational Campus. The building, opened in 1896 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was the first high school in the Bronx. For a time in the late 1940s and early 1950s one of the most racially integrated high schools in the United States, according to the Bronx Music Heritage Center. Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell graduated from Morris High School in 1954. 

School for Excellence shares the building with Bronx International High School, the High School for Violin and Dance, and Morris Academy for Collaborative Studies. (Lydie Raschka, web reports, October 2018)

 

 

 

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School Stats

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

Academics

School
Citywide
How many students graduate in 4 years?
 
59%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
50%
How many English language learners graduate in 4 years?
 
62%
Average daily attendance
 
81%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
53%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
89%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
89%
From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

100
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
95%
Students with disabilities
 
39%
Multilingual learners
 
13%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
0%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
86%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
55%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
38%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
31%
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
44%
3.1
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
50
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 157

Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity


How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
60%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey, 2021-22 School Quality Guide, 2019-20 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2021 Guidance Counselor Report, and this school's most recent Quality Review Report

Advanced Courses

Which students have access to advanced courses at this school? Learn more

Calculus

Not offered in 2019-20

Computer Science

Not offered in 2019-20

Physics

Not offered in 2019-20

Advanced Foreign Language

Not offered in 2019-20

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
25%

AP/IB Math or Science

Not offered in 2019-20

Music

Not offered in 2019-20
From unpublished, anonymized data from the 2021-22 school year provided by the New York State Education Department, brought to you by

College Readiness

School
Citywide
How many students graduate with test scores high enough to enroll at CUNY without remedial help?
 
16%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
8%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
23%
From the 2020-21 and 2021-22 School Quality Guide
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
16%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought you by
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Programs & Admissions

From the 2024 High School Directory

School for Excellence (X46A)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Program Description:

Students at SFE are diverse learners and have an interest in engaging in hands-on, student-centered learning activities and experiences. All students are programmed for extra reading, writing and mathematics classes per week to support them in gaining the necessary skills for the 21st Century. In addition, we are moving towards offering college and career preparatory courses across content areas and with an extended day focus on the culinary arts and STEM.

School for Excellence ASD Horizon Program (09X404)

Admissions Method: ASD/ACES Program

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP English Literature and Composition, Chemistry (Advanced Science)

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Soccer

Girls PSAL teams

Badminton, Basketball, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball

Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

1110 Boston Road
Bronx NY 10456

Buses: Bx13, Bx15, Bx17, Bx21, Bx35, Bx41, Bx41-SBS, Bx6, Bx6-SBS


Contact

Principal: Rani Pendharkar

Parent Coordinator: Waleska Bonifacio

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Morris Educational Campus with three other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? Yes

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