I.S. 117 Joseph H. Wade

IS 117 Joseph H. Wade offers lots of support for children and their families, including free vision screening and glasses, dental services, immigration advice, and mental health counseling in partnership the Community Association for Progressive Dominicans.

Most students have already fallen below grade level in reading and math when they enter IS 117, and few are ready for high school by the time they leave. Many miss at least a month of school. The school has been on and off lists of the city’s most struggling schools for a long time; enrollment has declined from about 800 in 2010 to 488 in 2019. 

School surveys show safety and order are a concern. A 6th grader posted a comment on our website saying, “Fights are sometimes unstoppable and some get injured during a fight.” But he also said some teachers are nice and caring.

The school is divided into four academies: New Horizons, World Culture, Social Justice, and College and Career Explorations. This enables teachers to keep a closer eye on students in case they're falling behind or experiencing some kind of trouble. The themes manifest themselves mostly in the academies' choice of field trips and special events rather than academics. 

A few bright spots: MS 117 offers dance and visual arts for all grades and students may participate in theater performances on and off site, according to the Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP). One 8th grader’s script was performed live and three 7th grade classes had their art displayed in Claremont Park in the Bronx. 

The building is shared with The Young Women's Leadership School of the Bronx. 

Admissions: Open boroughwide (Lydie Raschka, web reports, May 2019)