Our Insights
What’s Special
Free college courses, tiny class size, and lots of help for kids learning English
The Downside
Some students feel unsafe in neighborhood outside school
Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Sciences, a small school serving grades 6-12, offers students the chance to take free college courses at nearby Hostos Community College. Most students arrive in 6th grade with poor academic skills and many are still learning English, but the school does a good job helping them catch up and nearly half graduate with a two-year-college degree.
Free college tuition is a game changer in the South Bronx community where the median income is about $20,000, says long-time Principal Nicholas Paarlberg. “I tell our parents that when they start out with us that they start with $16,000,” the value of the two-year associate’s degree, he says. “Every time your child is late or misses homework, deduct $1.”
Two strategies have proven useful, particularly for the Latino students who are still learning English. First, a seasoned English teacher works individually with every student at some point, whether they are in his Advanced Placement English or in his class for English Language Learners. “Kids have had bad experiences with reading,” says the teacher, T. C. Niemann, who goes by his initials T.C. “They learned that they were failures. We work on reverting the trauma and focus on high interest stories,” books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid or articles such as “Should People be Allowed to Sell Their Kidneys?”
Second, juniors and seniors spend their afternoon in one-on-one tutoring sessions with the middle school students. “It is great when the older classmen connects with the material and the student,” Niemann says. “It is common to hear them say, ‘This part was hard for me too when I was doing this.’”
Small class size in middle school means kids get lots of attention. The school takes part in the Middle School Quality Initiative (MSQI), the city’s program designed to boost reading levels with intense instruction and a longer school day. Students also get small-group instruction in math. Hostos is addressing the very low math skills of incoming middle school students by creating “math teams” to ensure they know math basics.
On the day of our visit, 8th grade drama students received feedback on monologues they wrote themselves and had performed the day before. Seventh graders discussed Finding Someplace, the story of a 13-year-old fashion designer from New Orleans. In 6th grade, students built simple machines.
High school students interested in science may do research with college professors. The school’s science team has won awards at DNA barcoding competitions, which supports teens doing biological research
Some graduates have gone on to four year CUNY colleges like Hunter and Baruch as well as private colleges like Vanderbilt and Dickinson. Some have gone into nursing; others to get advanced degrees.
The full-time college advisor shared the story of a student with epilepsy and a love for theater who is now at SUNY Potsdam. The advisor worked to gain the trust of the student’s family to persuade them to permit the student to leave the Bronx for college.
Hostos-Lincoln shares a building with University Prep Charter.
A downside: although students feel safe inside, about one-third of the students responding to school surveys say they don’t feel safe outside the school building.
SPECIAL EDUCATION: About 20 percent of students receive special education services. All of the 8th grade classes are team-taught and students with Individual Education Plans may take Regents exams in 8th grade. Hostos also creates empathy in students by reading books like Out of My Mind, the story of a disabled girl who overcomes challenges. “It is better to create intrinsic empathy instead of preaching empathy,” says Paarlberg.
(Jacquie Wayans, Oct 2017)
Get more from InsideSchools
School Stats
Is this school safe and well-run?
From the 2022-2023 NYC School Survey
From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card
From this school's most recent Quality Review Report
From 2023 End-of-year Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism Report
How do students perform academically?
From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide
Who does this school serve?
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide
How does this school serve special populations?
From 2023 End-of-year Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism Report
From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database
Programs & Admissions
From the 2024 High School DirectoryHostos-Lincoln Academy of Science (X14J)
Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Science D75 Inclusion Program (X14U)
Offerings
From the 2024 High School DirectoryLanguage Courses
Spanish
Advanced Courses
Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, Arts (College Course [Credited]), Calculus (College Course [Credited]), Chemistry (Advanced Science), Econ/Gov (College Course [Credited]), ELA (College Course [Credited]), Math (College Course [Credited]), Other (College Course [Credited]), Physics (Advanced Science), Science (College Course [Credited]), Social Studies (College Course [Credited]), US History (College Course [Credited]), World Languages (College Course [Credited])
Boys PSAL teams
Basketball, Cross Country, Outdoor Track
Girls PSAL teams
Cross Country, Outdoor Track, Volleyball
Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools
Contact & Location
Location
600 Saint Ann'S Avenue
Bronx
NY
10455
Trains: , to Jackson Av; to East 149th St
Buses: Bx15, Bx17, Bx19, Bx2, Bx21, Bx4, Bx41, Bx41-SBS, M125
Contact
Other Details
This school shares the building with I.S. 584 and University Prep Charter HS
Comments