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Our Insights

What’s Special

Strong, engaging instruction; inclusive environment; school day starts later than typical

The Downside

Limited course offerings

Essex Street Academy is a friendly place where shy students come out of their shell, outgoing kids have plenty of opportunities to speak up, and all are encouraged to get involved. Small class sizes and engaging academics help students excel and prepare for college.

This small school with a progressive approach to education is part of the New York Performance Standards Consortium, a group of schools exempt from administering all but the English Regents exam. Eleventh- and 12th-graders must complete PBATs (performance based assessment tasks) on topics of their choosing, which involve extensive research and reading as well as writing and presenting papers in English, math, history, and science.

Teachers encourage students to be reflective and independent in their work. All classes emphasize writing, research, and discussion; many are structured around themes. For instance, 9th- and 10th-graders study themes of coming of age and identity in their literature class, reading books such as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ,by Maya Angelou and The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. In a forensic biology course, students design and conduct experiments on flatworms to study how rewards and punishments impact behavior.

“I really value that this is not a test-based school. I can learn the way I learn best,” said one student during our most recent visit.

The vibe is warm and inclusive. Students come from all over the city, some from highly competitive middle schools and others from neighborhood ones. During our most recent visit, students we spoke with said they felt welcomed and challenged in their classes and that they valued having friends from backgrounds different from their own. Frank discussions about race and identity are woven into lessons, and students are encouraged to celebrate their heritage.

Essex Street does a good job of serving a broad range of students. Key to its success are class sizes of about 20, which help teachers get to know their students well and tailor assignments to their skills and interests.

Typical of small schools, Essex Street’s course offerings are limited. Students may take college classes at CUNY schools or NYU.

Students study Spanish or French and the school organizes trips abroad to Spain or France over spring break. Studio art, music and theater are offered as classes during the day and as activities after school. Swim classes are offered in an on-site pool.

Located on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Essex Street is one of five small high schools housed in the Seward Park Educational Complex.

One big perk: The school day starts at 9:25 a.m., which is a boon to tired teens commuting from all over the city. Students may leave the building for lunch if they get to school on time.

There's a range of after-school clubs and activities. Students may participate in campus-wide sports programs.

The school invests a lot in its college office, funding counselors, after-school SAT courses, and college trips.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: There are integrated co-teaching (ICT) classes and Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETSS). The graduation rate for students with disabilities is excellent. (Laura Zingmond, via interview and DOE reports, May 2024)

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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?
 
96%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
95%
Average daily attendance
 
84%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
48%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
80%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
85%
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide and 2022-23 NYC School Survey

Students

353
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
65%
Students with disabilities
 
27%
Multilingual learners
 
2%
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?
 
93%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
30%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
24%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
93%
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
73%
7.8
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
353
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 191
How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
87%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey, 2022-23 School Quality Guide, 2021-22 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2023 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 2021-21

Computer Science

Not offered in 2021-21

Physics

Not offered in 2021-21

Advanced Foreign Language

Not offered in 2021-21

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

Not offered in 2021-21

AP/IB Math or Science

Not offered in 2021-21

Music

 
48%
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?
 
81%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
93%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
66%
From the 2020-21 and 2022-23 School Quality Guide

How many graduates who are eligible received Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funding to attend a NYS college?
 
37%
This shows how well this school supports low-income students to get funding for college.
How many of those TAP recipients made it through college? Learn more
From unpublished, anonymized student-level data for the class of 2016-17 provided by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) in coordination with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), brought to you by
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
76%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought to you by Visit Understanding FAFSA for help with the FAFSA and financial aid.
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

Essex Street Academy (M37X)

Admissions Method: Open

Program Description:

We provide a supportive, performance-based, college-preparatory program for all students. Please visit our school website for tour and open house dates.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

French

Advanced Courses

Calculus (Advanced Math), Chemistry (Advanced Science), ELA (College Course [Credited]), Other (College Course [Credited]), Social Studies (College Course [Credited]), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

Boys PSAL teams

Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Handball, Volleyball, Wrestling

Girls PSAL teams

Badminton, Basketball, Bowling, Softball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

350 Grand Street
Manhattan NY 10002

Trains: B Line, D Line to Grand St; F Line, J Line, M Line, Z Line to Delancey St

Buses: B39, M1, M103, M14A-SBS, M14D-SBS, M15, M15-SBS, M21, M22, M9


Contact

Principal: Wallace Simpson

Parent Coordinator: Meghan Gray

Phone: 212-475-4773

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Seward Park Educational Campus with four other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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