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Our Insights

What’s Special

Optimistic principal dedicated to turning around the school’s reputation

The Downside

Low attendance, college-readiness and graduation rates

Boys and Girls High School is working to improve its reputation as it emerges from a period of poor performance. Principal Grecian Harrison, an effective manager who is popular among teachers, is working to improve the school but faces enormous challenges with attendance and graduation rates.

Harrison, who became principal in 2016, spoke to NY1 about her goals for the school, “Rebrand, rebuild and recruit. We feel that it’s very important to change the community’s perception of Boys and Girls High School.” One of her first decisions as principal was to build a museum within the school tracing Boys and Girls’ history back to the creation of Central Grammar, Brooklyn’s first public high school, in 1886. Central Grammar split into two schools, Boys High School and Girls High School, that ultimately merged in 1975 to create what is now Boys and Girls High School. The museum also highlights esteemed graduates, such as America’s first black congresswoman, Shirley Chisholm, and the famous NBA players Dwayne “Pearl” Washington and Lenny Wilkens.

Once nicknamed the Pride and Joy of Bed-Stuy, Boys and Girls was led for years by a charismatic disciplinarian, Frank Mickens, who patrolled outside school carrying a claw hammer until his retirement in 2004. Mickens's supporters said he brought order to what had been a troubled, chaotic place by enforcing strict codes of conduct and keeping out kids he called troublemakers. But critics said he illegally pushed out low-achieving students. In 2008, after a lawsuit by Advocates for Children, the city agreed to give students who had been excluded from school a second chance to graduate, according to the the New York Times City Room blog.

The school, which used to house more than 3,600 students in the early 2000s, now enrolls about 400 and shares a building with two other small schools: the Nelson Mandela School for Social Justice and Research and Service High School. The spacious building is decorated with colorful murals, including artwork by Ernest Crichlow, an influential Harlem Renaissance painter. The three schools share some resources, including a College and Career Readiness Center.

Although small, the school has a range of classes, including Advanced Placement classes such as AP Calculus and AP English Literature, as well as career and technical education (CTE) classes in engineering, architectural drafting, computer technology and theater arts.

Boys and Girls is a basketball powerhouse that prepares students to compete at the college level. Many other PSAL sports are also offered, including football. While arts and music are limited, there are theater classes students can take. Students may participate in acting workshops with the Manhattan Theater Club, and two students were featured in Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It series on Netflix.

Although the school has made great strides in safety, it still has a ways to go. College-readiness levels are lower than the citywide average; few students go on to college and attendance is poor. In addition, the school's quality report found that classes lacked engaging and challenging material, despite improvements from previous years.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: The school has a large population of students with disabilities, but graduation rates for these students are lower than the citywide average. (Isabel Corpus, web reports, June 2018)

 

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School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Academics

School
Citywide
How many students graduate in 4 years?
 
73%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
67%
Average daily attendance
 
81%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
51%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
71%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
86%
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide and 2022-23 NYC School Survey

Students

374
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
95%
Students with disabilities
 
32%
Multilingual learners
 
5%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
4%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
85%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
54%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
43%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
70%
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
70%
7.2
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
240
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 191
How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
83%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey, 2022-23 School Quality Guide, 2021-22 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2023 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 2021-21

Computer Science

 
2%

Physics

Not offered in 2021-21

Advanced Foreign Language

 
7%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
16%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
2%

Music

 
38%
From unpublished, anonymized data from the 2021-22 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?
 
38%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
50%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
21%
From the 2020-21 and 2022-23 School Quality Guide

How many graduates who are eligible received Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funding to attend a NYS college?
 
47%
This shows how well this school supports low-income students to get funding for college.
How many of those TAP recipients made it through college? Learn more
From unpublished, anonymized student-level data for the class of 2016-17 provided by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) in coordination with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), brought to you by
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
31%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought to you by Visit Understanding FAFSA for help with the FAFSA and financial aid.
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Programs & Admissions

From the 2024 High School Directory

Brooklyn STEAM Center (K10A)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Program Description:

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) provides a CTE focus on a range of courses in four industry areas: information technology, graphics, engineering, and architecture. The program includes innovative technical training leading to certification and opportunities to earn college credit and will also offer opportunities to complete work-based learning sequences (e.g. internships) to provide pathways to employment and/or post-secondary credentials.

Smart Scholars Early College Program (K10E)

Admissions Method: Screened

Program Description:

This program is comprised of a vigorous curriculum which gives scholars the opportunity to earn a New York State high school diploma and up to 30 transferrable college credits and enrichment high school credits from AP for All and the College Now program at the New York City College of Technology.

Institute for Career & Technical Education (K10S)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Program Description:

This program provides students with rigorous academic course-work and a sequence of applied skills in the following career pathways: Electrical Installation, Architecture, Computer Programming, and Theater Arts. Students will have the opportunity to earn an Advanced Regents diploma, pursue industry-recognized credentials and additional industry training, and receive support to enter the workforce.

Boys and Girls High School ACES 12:1:1 Program (K10Y)

Admissions Method: ASD/ACES Program

Zoned (K10Z)

Admissions Method: Zoned Guarantee

Program Description:

Zoned students have access to all Boys and Girls High School programs including Advanced Placement and other college level courses and specialized electives.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Calculus AB, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Research, AP Seminar, AP United States History, Chemistry (Advanced Science), ELA (College Course [Credited]), Science (College Course [Credited]), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

Boys PSAL teams

Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Handball, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Cross Country, Handball, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Volleyball

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

1700 Fulton Street
Brooklyn NY 11213

Trains: A Line, C Line to Utica Av

Buses: B15, B25, B26, B43, B45, B46, B46-SBS, B65


Contact

Principal: Grecian Harrison

Parent Coordinator: Lavonne Gaston

Phone: 718-467-1700

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Boys and Girls HS Building wth two other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? Yes

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