Manhattan Early College Academy for Marketing and Media Arts (MECA)
Grades: 9-14Our Insights
What’s Special
Earn free college credits, paid internships
The Downside
Many students miss too much school
Manhattan Early College Academy for Marketing and Media Arts (MECA) opened in 2014 as a partnership with the Borough of Manhattan Community College and the advertising industry's trade group. At this small high school a few blocks from City Hall, students take career-focused classes, participate in paid internships, and take college courses for free at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC). Students may graduate after four years, or stay up to an additional two years to work toward a free associate’s degree.
MECA’s career classes build year by year. Freshmen start with Visual Thinking, a blend of art and advertising that ends in a competition. Sophomores study graphic design and work toward an Adobe Photoshop certification. Juniors study branding and build portfolio websites. Even the school's website and logo are student-created.
Student interests are encouraged. For example, one senior loved photography and carried a camera around school. MECA staff connected him with the International Center of Photography.
College starts early. Tenth graders take critical thinking and public speaking from community college faculty right in the MECA building. By 11th grade, students head to BMCC—about a 15 minute walk—for classes such as theater and video technology. They learn to read a syllabus and communicate with professors. Students typically earn about 30 college credits at no cost. About one-third of the students stay on for two more years (the school calls them 13th and 14th grade). They get free tuition, books and a MetroCard while finishing an associate degree in fields such as digital marketing or animation.
Paid internships are a big draw. The school says students can log more than 600 hours of paid work before graduating.
The results are encouraging. Far more MECA students take college-level courses that is typical citywide. Graduates who go on to college are more likely stick with college compared to the students citywide.
There are drawbacks too. Attendance is a work-in-progress, with more students than the city average missing nearly a month of school or more.
MECA fills the third floor of the Murry Bergtraum Campus, a fortress-like building, located next to police headquarters in downtown Manhattan. It share the facilities with three other high schools. Student may participate in campus-wide sports teams.
Student activities may change from year-to-year, but typically include Model UN, Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA), Black Student Union, MECA's Got Talent, book Club, photography club, and culinary club
SPECIAL EDUCATION: Students with disabilities graduate at a slightly lower rate than the city average. However, every parent of a student with disabilities who answered the school survey said the school meets their child’s needs. (InsideSchools staff, based on official reports, interviews, October 2026)
Get more from InsideSchools
School Stats
Academics
Students
Race/Ethnicity
Safety & Vibe
Faculty & Staff
Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity
College and Career Readiness
Programs & Admissions
From the 2024 High School DirectoryManhattan Early College School for Advertising (M73A)
Program Description:
Students engage in a rigorous, project-based curriculum that blends art, technology, and creative problem solving. Students have the option to graduate from MECA after four years with a CTE-endorsed high school diploma and up to 36 college credits or to stay for six years and graduate with a high school diploma, an Associate Degree from the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) and two years of paid work experience.
Offerings
From the 2024 High School DirectoryAdvanced Courses
Algebra II (Advanced Math), Algebra II (College Course [Credited]), AP Pre-Calculus, AP United States History, Arts (College Course [Credited]), Calculus (College Course [Credited]), Chemistry (Advanced Science), Comp Sci/Math Tech (College Course [Credited]), Econ/Gov (College Course [Credited]), ELA (College Course [Credited]), Math (College Course [Credited]), Other (College Course [Credited]), Physics (Advanced Science), Science (College Course [Credited]), Social Studies (College Course [Credited]), World Languages (College Course [Credited])
Boys PSAL teams
Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Indoor Track, Lacrosse, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Volleyball, Wrestling
Girls PSAL teams
Basketball, Cross Country, Flag Football, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Softball, Volleyball
Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools
Contact & Location
Location
411 Pearl Street
New York
NY
10038
Trains:
,
to Park Place;
,
,
,
to Fulton St;
,
,
,
,
to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall;
,
to Canal St;
to City Hall
Buses: BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4, BxM18, M103, M15, M15-SBS, M22, M55, M9, QM11, QM25, QM65, QM7, QM8, SIM1, SIM10, SIM11, SIM15, SIM1C, SIM2, SIM3, SIM31, SIM32, SIM33C, SIM34, SIM35, SIM3C, SIM4, SIM4C, SIM4X, SIM5, SIM6, X27, X28, X37, X38
Contact
Other Details
This school shares the Murry Bergtraum Educational Campus with three other schools
Was this information helpful?
Get more from InsideSchools
You may also like …
Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers
New York, NY 10038
Urban Assembly Maker Academy
New York, NY 10038
Comments