High School for Health Professions and Human Services

The High School for Health Professions and Human Services offers a range of science courses as part of a traditional high school curriculum. Top students conduct research with mentors at nearby hospitals and are admitted to highly selective colleges.

The school has two programs: science research, an academically demanding program affiliated with Syracuse University, and medical assisting, a career and technical education (CTE) program in which students learn to become medical assistants, a job that pays about $18 an hour. Students may have internships at doctor’s offices, hospitals and community organizations during the summer and after school. The school also offers courses in nutrition and forensics, and a combined art and anatomy class.

The school is about 70 percent female and serves many new immigrants who may speak Spanish, Urdu, Tamil and Bengali.

Housed in the old Stuyvesant High School building, which it shares with the Institute for Collaborative Education, Health Professions is overcrowded. Starting times are staggered from 7:20 a.m. to 9 a.m. to accommodate triple sessions. Seniors may leave as early as 12:55 p.m.; others may leave as late as 3:13 p.m.

Despite the triple sessions, the tone is pleasant, and most students seem happy to be here. There are no metal detectors, and bathrooms are unlocked. Attendance is high. Nearly everyone graduates on time and most are well-prepared for college. The school has steady leadership. Robert A. Gentile, formerly an assistant principal at New Utrecht High School, has been principal since September 2009.

A nonprofit organization, Comprehensive Development Inc., offers college and career counseling. There are three college counselors, two full-time and one part-time. Five students were awarded POSSE scholarships to attend the University of Wisconsin, Smith and Colby colleges in 2018, Gentile said.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: About 15 percent of the students receive special education services, including speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETSS), integrated co-teaching (ICT) and self-contained classes.

ADMISSIONS: The science research program, with about 150 seats, gives preference to students with good attendance records who scored Level 3 or 4 on standardized tests and who earned at least 85 in core academic subjects. Students are admitted to the medical assisting program according to the educational option formula, designed to provide a mix of low-, average and high-achieving students. (Clara Hemphill, June 2018)