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Manhattan Early College Academy for Marketing and Media Arts (MECA)

Grades: 9-14
Noteworthy

Our 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)

 

 

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School Stats

Academics

School
Citywide
How many students graduate in 4 years?
 
92%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
75%
Average daily attendance
 
82%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
46%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
100%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
100%
From the 2024-25 School Quality Guide and 2024-25 NYC School Survey

Students

389
Number of students
Citywide Average is 608

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
84%
Students with disabilities
 
17%
Multilingual learners
 
12%
From the 2024-25 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
1%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
88%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
38%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
25%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
63%
From the 2024-25 NYC School Survey and 2023-24 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
56%
7.2
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 8
135
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 119

Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity


How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
79%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2024-25 NYC School Survey, 2024-25 School Quality Guide, 2022-23 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2025 Guidance Counselor Report, and this school's most recent Quality Review Report

College and Career Readiness

School
Citywide
How well are students prepared for college and careers after four years at this school? What is a College and Career Readiness (CCR) Score?
 
59
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
89%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
81%
From the 2024-25 School Quality Guide
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

Manhattan Early College School for Advertising (M73A)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

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 Directory

Advanced 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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

411 Pearl Street
New York NY 10038

Trains: 1 Line, E Line to Park Place; 2 Line, 3 Line, A Line, C Line to Fulton St; 4 Line, 5 Line, 6 Line, J Line, Z Line to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall; N Line, Q Line to Canal St; R Line 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

Principal: Sarah Kaplan

Parent Coordinator:

Phone: 212-225-0880

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Murry Bergtraum Educational Campus with three other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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