I.S. 158 Theodore Roosevelt Gathings Middle School

The IS 158 building houses Dr. Izquierdo Health and Sciences Charter School, Bronx Latin, and Bronx Career and College Prep High School. (New Day Academy, also in the building, is phasing out because of poor performance.)

IS 158 was closed in 2007 and replaced with a number of small schools. A good 15-minute walk from the nearest subway station, the building is located in the heart of the South Bronx, in a neighborhood with few businesses, several complexes of public houses and many worn-looking multiple-family residences. The vast majority of students come from the neighborhood.

The school's final principal, Marsha Elliott, garnered impressive reviews from state officials, guiding the troubled school to improvements in attendance and instruction, according to a city quality review.

An Insideschools reviewer said in 2004 that the school had four or five principals in as many years and half the staff were first year teachers. In 2003, the school lost 150 students through the federal No Child Left Behind law, which allows students to transfer out of failing schools. Fully 25 percent of the children who remained had special needs. MS 158 also housed an "8+" program, drawing students who have failed 8th grade, as well as a center for students who have been suspended from other schools in the area. Because it is barrier-free, the school attracted students who needed wheelchairs or had other physical handicaps.

“Suffice it to say, therefore, that MS 158 has much more than its share of students who struggle with academic, behavior, social or other problems, and who need lots of attention and extra help,” we reported in 2004. (Deborah Apsel, May 2004, updated August 2012)