Pace High School

One of the most popular schools in the city without academic admissions requirements, Pace High School offers students a chance to take free classes at nearby Pace University their junior and senior years. It is open to students of all achievement levels and designed to serve average students as well as kids who are struggling.

Pace is known for class discussions and projects rather than lectures and textbooks. Each student is assigned to an advisory, a small group of students who stay together for four years and who may discuss everything from personal problems to college admissions. In addition to core academics, classes are offered in ceramics, theater and visual art. Students attend free theater performances at Lincoln Center.

Students begin their high school career with a program called "First Summer" held at Pace University's Westchester campus in August. Entering 9th graders stay overnight in college dorms in Pleasantville, getting to know their classmates and teachers, learning about the culture and expectations of the school and enjoying a swim in the college pool.

The university supports the high school in other ways, too. Students have access to the college library, computer labs and recreational facilities on Pace’s Manhattan campus. Faculty from the School of Education work with high school teachers; and the university offers up to five full tuition scholarships to high school graduates each year.

While students say the school is safe, teachers say there are some discipline issues, according to school surveys.  In the 2016-17 school year, nearly 40 percent of students missed more than a month of school. The school’s yearly plan for 2018 called for increased attention to absenteeism, and the numbers have improved somewhat.

Just north of the Manhattan Bridge, Pace shares a building with MS 131 and the Emma Lazarus School. An outdoor track offers a pleasant place for sports as well as a gathering place for the Chinatown community. Eric Glatz, a founding teacher and assistant principal at Queens School of Inquiry, became principal in 2015.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: Team-teaching classes are offered for math, English, social studies, and science. These classes have two teachers, one of whom is certified in special education.

ADMISSIONS: The school has regular tours and open houses in the fall. The school typically has more than 3,000 applicants for 125 seats. (Clara Hemphill, web reports, March 2018)