Fordham High School for the Arts

Fordham High School for the Arts is a small, close-knit school with strong academics and a rich arts program. Music, dance, drama and visual arts take place during the regular school day. Instrumental music students compose their own jazz numbers and perform them at Lehman College with teachers from Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard School. Drama students memorize monologues by playwright August Wilson. Juniors and seniors may apply for paid internships with arts and cultural organizations such as Roundabout Theatre Company, Vital Theatre and New York Theatre Workshop.

While most kids enter 9th grade with reading scores below grade level, teachers do a good job of ensuring that they graduate on time and are prepared for college-level work, according to school progress reports. The school received a rating of “well developed,” the highest rating, on the city’s quality review. Students seem happy: On school surveys, most say they feel safe and that the programs, classes and activities encourage them to develop talents outside of academics. 

Fordham also offers two CTE (career and technical education) programs that combine traditional coursework with professional training in a trade. Music Production/Engineering includes skills such as composition and audio recording. Technical Theater participants study lighting, electricity, carpentry and costume design.

Teachers are less experienced here than at other schools. Principal Iris Blige says finding good teachers with staying power is difficult in the Bronx, just as it is across the city. Teacher turnover is significantly higher than average, according to state data from 2013-2014, the most recently available.  

Fordham is one of seven schools housed in the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus.

ADMISSIONS: Students are admitted by audition. (Lydie Raschka, web reports, DOE data, interview, February 2018)