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Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School

Grades: 9-12
Noteworthy

Our Insights

What’s Special

Unique instructional approach with a strong emphasis on research and writing

The Downside

Attendance and graduation rates have a ways to go

Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School is a well-run school that follows a progressive model. It is part of the New York Performance Standards Consortium, a group of schools exempt from administering all but the English Regents exam. Eleventh- and 12th-graders must complete PBATs (performance based assessment tasks), which involve extensive research and reading as well as writing and presenting papers in English, math, history and science.  

Teachers work hard to engage students in interesting projects—such as testing the quality of the water in the Bronx River. Students and staff agree the school is safe; teachers work together as a team and uniformly recommend the school to prospective parents, according to school surveys.

The National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado gave Fannie Lou Hamer a gold “School of Opportunity” award in 2015 for its work with low-income students.

Most students come in with weak academic skills, and many have special needs. Although attendance and graduation rates are below the citywide average, the school does a better job than schools with similar populations, according to the city’s School Performance Dashboard.  Students get good advice applying for college and financial aid, according to the city’s Quality Review.

The school hosts peace fairs to target neighborhood violence and offers Saturday parent academies to encourage family engagement. A partnership with the Children's Aid Society Bronx Family Center provides students with access to medical and dental services.

The school is in a brick building across the service road of the Sheridan Expressway. All the windows are protected by wire. The building is colorfully bright and clean and features a well-equipped library and technology lab. It is wheelchair accessible and has no metal detectors or cameras. The lunchroom is cheerful, with round burgundy tables and student murals on the walls.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: The school offers both small "self-contained" classes and integrated co-teaching (ICT) classes. These classes mix students with special needs and general education students in one room, and are headed by two teachers, one a specialist in special education. (Jacquie Wayans, updated with web reports, December 2018; updated August 2020)

 

School Stats

Academics

School
Citywide
How many students graduate in 4 years?
 
81%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
73%
How many English language learners graduate in 4 years?
 
77%
Average daily attendance
 
69%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
87%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
93%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achive the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
87%
From the 2020-21 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

464
Number of students
624 Citywide Average

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
88%
Students with disabilities
 
28%
Multilingual learners
 
15%
From the 2020-21 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
1%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
94%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
20%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
11%
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
100%
7.0
Years of principal experience at this school
7 Citywide Average
154
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
157 Citywide Average

Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity


How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
86%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey, 2020-21 School Quality Guide, 2019-20 NY State Report Card, 2021 Guidance Counselor Report and this school's most recent Quality Review Report

Advanced Courses

Which students have access to advanced courses at this school? Learn more

Calculus

Not offered in 2019-20

Computer Science

Not offered in 2019-20

Physics

 
5%

Advanced Foreign Language

Not offered in 2019-20

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

Not offered in 2019-20

AP/IB Math or Science

Not offered in 2019-20

Music

Not offered in 2019-20
From unpublished, anonymized data from the 2019-20 school year provided by the New York State Education Department, brought to you by

College Readiness

School
Citywide
How many students graduate with test scores high enough to enroll at CUNY without remedial help?
 
27%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
35%
From the 2020-21 School Quality Guide
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
42%
From the 2020-21 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought you by
How many graduates of this school received Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funding to attend a NYS college?
 
61%
How many of those TAP recipients made it through college? Learn more
From unpublished, anonymized student-level data for the class of 2014 provided by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) in coordination with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), brought to you by
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Programs & Admissions

From the 2021 High School Directory

Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Offerings

From the 2021 High School Directory

Language Courses

Spanish

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball, Wrestling

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Outdoor Track, Softball, Volleyball

Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

1021 Jennings Street
Bronx NY 10460

Trains: 2 Line, 5 Line to Freeman St; 6 Line to Whitlock Ave

Buses: Bx11, Bx19, Bx21, Bx27, Bx35, Bx36, Bx4, Bx4A


Contact

Principal: Jeffrey Palladino

Parent Coordinator: Yselly Olivo

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? No

This school is in its own building.

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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