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Our Insights

What’s Special

A fresh start for students at risk of dropping out

The Downside

Some friction between principal and staff

Bronx Community High School (BCHS) provides a fresh start for students who have faced challenges in their previous schools. BCHS uses trimesters, a schedule that allows students to earn credits twice as quickly as traditional schools. It's linked with New Visions for Public Schools and the New York Mission Society, offering support, career guidance, and paid internships. 

Academics & Instruction: Students often collaborate on projects, like managing a "budget" in economics class, or creating a miniature ecosystem in science, using soil, rocks, and grass to study erosion and land formation. Each student receives a laptop to use during their high school years. Some classes allow self-paced learning, using laptops for tasks in Google Classroom to study local history, for example.

Sports, tutoring, dance, music, and fitness clubs take place after school. The school offers a college and career readiness internship program. Students in good standing can work at least 10 hours a week in their chosen field. Teens meet on Saturdays to prepare for Regents in the months leading up to the exam. 

Themes & Programs: Students may earn an OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) certificate, essential for safe work in construction, healthcare, or manufacturing. It boosts their job prospects post-graduation.

Culture & Environment: Each student has an advisor overseeing no more than 25 students and meets twice weekly for support. Conflicts are resolved through mediation, which may include community service. Mentors from the NY Mission Society help with attendance and academics. On culture day, students share food and wear traditional clothing to honor their heritage, highlighting the school's rich diversity.

While students overwhelmingly say they feel safe in school, there seems to be some friction between teachers and the principal, based on responses to the NYC School Survey.

Special Education & English as a New Language (ENL): The school serves a growing number of students with disabilities and English language learners, who speak Bengali, Spanish, French,  Italian, and other languages. Peer-to-peer support is encouraged, and bilingual staff are on hand. English learners meet twice a week after school for support with language and school work. 

Building & Facilities: The school is one of six schools in the Adlai E. Stevenson Educational Campus. Montefiore Hospital runs a clinic on-site offering services like dental and eye exams, and counseling. Sports are campus-wide. Cellphones are collected in the morning and returned at the end of the day.

College & Career: With support from the New York City Mission Society, students receive tutoring, Regents exam prep, and attendance outreach. Staff make home visits, arrange college tours, provide financial aid assistance, and train students in leadership skills. (Lydie Raschka, web reports and interview, May 2024)

 

 

 

 

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School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Academics

School
Citywide
Transfer school graduation rate
 
53%
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide and 2022-23 NYC School Survey

Students

158
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
100%
Students with disabilities
 
20%
Multilingual learners
 
24%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
1%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
95%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
23%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
22%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
56%
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
33%
1.6
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
114
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 191
How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
100%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey, 2022-23 School Quality Guide, 2021-22 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2023 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

Not offered in 2021-21

Computer Science

Not offered in 2021-21

Physics

Not offered in 2021-21

Advanced Foreign Language

 
55%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
39%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
39%

Music

Not offered in 2021-21
From unpublished, anonymized data from the 2021-22 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?
 
8%
From the 2020-21 and 2022-23 School Quality Guide
Visit Understanding FAFSA for help with the FAFSA and financial aid.
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Contact & Location

Location

1980 Lafayette Avenue
Bronx NY 10473

Buses: Bx22, Bx27, Bx36, Bx39, Bx5


Contact

Principal: Joel Heckethorn

Parent Coordinator: Ruth Wise

Phone: 718-892-1026

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Adlai E. Stevenson Educational Campus with six other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? Yes

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