Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School

Located near Times Square, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is one of a handful of high schools that offer business courses in addition to the typical array of high school classes. The school has struggled with a mediocre attendance rate and student performance over the years.

The school has two business themes: International Virtual Enterprises International (VEI), and Hospitality and Tourism. Students sample each before they continue on one track. VEI students set up and run a mock business, trying all employee roles, from human resources and accounting, to product development and marketing. Teens also learn about business etiquette.

Some students are selected to work with Roundabout Theater Company. They study aspects of theater production, such as lighting and sound design, according to the school’s website. Professionals from Roundabout also work with humanities teachers to help bring lessons to life.

In dance classes, children study a mix of styles such as flamenco and merengue. Dance students have performed at Manhattan Borough Arts Festival, and in El Museo Del Barrio’s Three King’s Day Parade.

Principal Edward Demeo took the helm in 2003. The numbers of inexperienced teachers on his staff is higher than average; in 2017 about one-third were new to the teaching profession, according to the yearly plan.

Students face challenges; many are performing below grade level in reading and math when they arrive freshman year. More than half miss 18 or more days of school, and more than a third do not graduate on time.

Teachers struggle to maintain discipline and order. Enrollment has declined by more than 100 students since 2012. While most children feel safe, more than 40 percent complain of bullying. The school’s suspension rate hovers just above the citywide average.

The school has a new website and is working to improve teaching and engage parents more, according to school’s annual Comprehensive Educational Plan. Whole school events such as career night, movie nights and performances, bring everyone together.

The college office has a full-time counselor and three guidance counselors. Teens also get help in AVID, or Advancement Via Independent Determination, a program designed to prepare kids in the “academic middle” for four-year colleges. The teacher helps teens build vocabulary for the SAT, writes their college recommendations and assists them with their college essays. Most graduates attend CUNY and SUNY schools.

ADMISSIONS: Educational option serving a range of academic performers. (Lydie Raschka, school website and DOE data, July 2018)