Our Insights
What’s Special
A fresh start for middle and high school students at risk of dropping out
The Downside
Inexperienced teachers
New Directions offers middle and high school students who are over-age or off-track a second chance. They may catch up on schoolwork in small classes and through online courses. Daily after school classes gives teens a chance to complete assignments and practice skills.
While the city has a number of “transfer” schools for older high school students, New Directions is the only transfer school designed for both middle and high school students.
New Directions faces challenges; many students are learning to speak English and almost one-third has special needs. Most students miss a month or more of school. Wediko Children’s Services and school counselors run daily small group advisory groups to help students improve their relationships with adults and with their peers in school, according to a post on Wediko.org.
New Directions has some nice features centered around music and art. A partnership with Community Word Project (CWP) provides teens with a chance to weave together reading, writing and art, for example. Following a visit from rapper and poet Osyris Antham, students in grades 8-11 recorded their original songs over selected hip-hop beats in a music studio, according to a CWP News & Events blog post.
Principal James Waslawski designed New Directions during his time as a Cahn Fellow at Columbia University, a continuing education program for public school principals. When he founded the school in 2013, it was one of the first schools of its kind in the city, according to an article in Chalkbeat.
As principal at PS/MS 279, Waslawski worked with immigrant children and many children with special needs. There, he grouped children by their proficiency level in English in their reading and writing classes, and placed struggling children into very small groups.
A downside: Teachers have less experience at New Directions, compared to the citywide average, according to the School Quality Guide.
New Directions is one of six small schools housed in the Taft Educational Campus. Students must pass through a metal detector at the entrance. (Lydie Raschka, web reports, October 2019)
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School Stats
Academics
Students
Race/Ethnicity
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Faculty & Staff
College Readiness
Visit Understanding FAFSA for help with the FAFSA and financial aid.
Programs & Admissions
From the 2024 High School DirectoryNew Directions Secondary School (X13A)
Program Description:
New Directions has a rolling admissions policy and operates as a transfer high school.
Offerings
From the 2024 High School DirectoryAdvanced Courses
Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Spanish Language and Culture
Boys PSAL teams
Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Volleyball, Wrestling
Girls PSAL teams
Basketball, Cross Country, Flag Football, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Softball, Volleyball
Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools
Contact & Location
Location
240 East 172 Street
Bronx
NY
10457
Trains: to Mt Eden Av; , to 170th St
Buses: Bx1, Bx11, Bx15, Bx18, Bx2, Bx32, Bx35, Bx41, Bx41-SBS, BxM4
Contact
Other Details
This school shares the Taft Educational Campus with five other schools
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