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Gramercy Arts High School

Grades: 9-12

Our Insights

What’s Special

Visual and performing arts

The Downside

Concerns about discipline and order

On the seventh floor of the Washington Irving Educational Campus, Gramercy Arts High School offers a four-year studio arts major, in Visual or Performing Arts, and a screened humanities and arts program for students who want to earn college credits.

The school day runs from 8:20 to 3:30 to accommodate the arts. Each studio has at least one residency each semester. For Visual Arts, residencies are in partnership with The New Museum, School of Visual Arts and Fashion Institute of Technology. Performing Arts students works with New York Theatre Workshop, Manhattan Theatre Club and the Vineyard Theatre.

After school, children work on performances or may join the dance club, Model United Nations, chess club, yoga club, sisters who code, anime or yearbook.

The school has a newspaper, The New Gramercy Times, with articles titled “Trump vs. Twitter” and “Transphobia,” as well as music and theater reviews.

The city’s 2017 Quality Review praised the school for its inclusive environment; it has a gay-straight alliance, and kids study African American artists like August Wilson and Alvin Ailey. Families and students enjoy field day, career day, talent shows, dances and potlucks.

The school also faces challenges. On school surveys more than half the students report that they do not feel challenged. This is the area in need of most improvement on the Quality Review. 

Susan DiCicco, formerly the assistant principal of social studies and language at LaGuardia High School, became principal in 2014. School surveys also show friction between her and the teachers; fewer than half the teachers think the principal is an effective manager. About two-thirds of the teachers do not think discipline and order are maintained at school.

Gramercy Arts shares the building with Academy for Software Engineering, Success Academy Union Square Charter, International High School at Union Square, The High School for Language and Diplomacy and Union Square Academy for Health Sciences.  (Lydie Raschka, web reports, April 2018)

School Stats

Academics

School
Citywide
How many students graduate in 4 years?
 
98%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
95%
Average daily attendance
 
82%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
63%
From the 2020-21 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

518
Number of students
624 Citywide Average

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
81%
Students with disabilities
 
18%
Multilingual learners
 
3%
From the 2020-21 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?
 
100%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
11%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
15%
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?
 
58%
3.1
Years of principal experience at this school
7 Citywide Average
225
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
157 Citywide Average

Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity


How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
64%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey, 2020-21 School Quality Guide, 2019-20 NY State Report Card, 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

 
8%

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

 
51%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
19%

Music

Not offered in 2019-20
From unpublished, anonymized data from the 2019-20 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?
 
66%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
98%
From the 2020-21 School Quality Guide
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
74%
From the 2020-21 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought you by
How many graduates of this school received Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funding to attend a NYS college?
 
33%
How many of those TAP recipients made it through college? Learn more
From unpublished, anonymized student-level data for the class of 2014 provided by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) in coordination with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), brought to you by
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Programs & Admissions

From the 2021 High School Directory

Visual Arts

Admissions Method: Audition

Program Description:

Students enrolled in this program experience an education with an emphasis on skills and technologies that can lead to 21st century employment using digital design, computer aided drafting, website design, product design and careers yet to be discovered! Content increases in rigor as students progress through the years. Students keep a portfolio of work so that they may not only reflect on their learning but use these portfolios as evidence and discussion points at job and college interviews.

Theater Arts

Admissions Method: Audition

Program Description:

The Theater Arts are used as a conduit for self-confidence and self-awareness so that graduates can be engaging in both theaters and board rooms. A 4-year curriculum is offered where students can take 1-2 periods of theater daily. Students acquire skills used in theatre and performance as well as other career paths. Learners focus on directing, playwriting, musical theater, and technical design. An senior-year Exit Project is completed for all students so they may earn an arts endorsed diploma.

Capstone Scholars

Admissions Method: Screened

Program Description:

The Capstone Scholars program is a college readiness program that exposes students to AP Courses throughout their four-year high school tenure. Students select courses in English, History, Math, and Science and complete AP exams to earn 15-30 college credits. Scholars will complete a four-year study of Theater to earn their Arts Endorsed Diploma and an Advanced Regents Diploma. In the 12th grade, students have the opportunity to apply for a 'Capstone' or internship in a field of their choosing.

Offerings

From the 2021 High School Directory

Language Courses

Italian

Advanced Placement (AP) courses

AP Biology, AP World History: Modern, AP Psychology, AP Human Geography, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Calculus AB, AP Statistics, AP United States History

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Handball, Soccer, Volleyball

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Softball, Volleyball

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

40 Irving Place
Manhattan NY 10003

Trains: 4 Line, 5 Line, 6 Line, L Line, N Line, Q Line, R Line, W Line to 14th St-Union Square

Buses: BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4, BxM10, BxM6, BxM7, BxM8, BxM9, M1, M101, M102, M103, M14A, M14D, M15, M15-SBS, M2, M23-SBS, M3, M34-SBS, M34A-SBS, M55, M8, M9, QM21, X1, X10, X10B, X12, X14, X17, X2, X27, X28, X37, X38, X42, X5, X63, X64, X68, X7, X9


Contact

Principal: Pamela Mudzingwa Makin

Parent Coordinator: Malik Mcalpine

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Washington Irving Educational Campus with five other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? Yes

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