Marie Curie School for Medicine, Nursing, and Health Professions, The

At Marie Curie High School, students may have internships in local nursing homes. In their science classes, they may dissect a shark or analyze the DNA in blood samples in a make-believe crime scene. Unfortunately, the school has problems with order and discipline and few students graduate ready for college, according to Department of Education statistics.

Opened in 2004 in a building shared with a middle school, The New School for Leadership and Journalism, Marie Curie was designed to prepare students for careers in nursing. However, most students enter with weak academic skills and are unprepared to take the demanding math and science classes necessary for admissions to nursing programs at 4-year-colleges, where they might become registered nurses. Instead, they are more likely to become certified nurse assistants, who are paid much less. About 70 percent of the students are female.

The school has an active Facebook page that highlights activities such as community service and girls basketball.  

Admissions: The school has not filled its seats in recent years. (Clara Hemphill, web reports, December 2018)