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Our Insights

What’s Special

Internships and community service at local nursing home, medical facilities and hospitals

The Downside

Few elective classes

Students at the High School for Medical Professions (HSMP) learn about health professions through field trips, hands-on projects and internships. Students also volunteer at nearby hospitals and nursing homes. The school’s graduation rate exceeds the citywide average, including for those with special needs and who are learning English.

All students take a course in health career explorations and classwork incorporates hands-on projects, such as learning CPR and studying physiology by dissecting animal organs. Beyond that, students' main exposure to health professions is through community service and some field trips to places such as DNA labs and hospitals. Ninth through 11th-graders complete their mandatory community service at nursing homes; seniors do theirs at hospitals.

To bolsters students’ writing skills, the school uses a structured program called the Hochman Method. Teachers in all subjects use this writing method, which means they use the same language and practices whether it’s a math teacher discussing how students should explain their approach to solving a problem or a history teacher critiquing essays.

Students participate in daily advisory groups lead by a teacher who keeps tabs on students’ academic and social-emotional growth by helping them develop skills in time management, decision-making, and goal-setting.

HSMP adopted a restorative justice program, which aims to minimize suspensions and promote positive behavior among students through conversation, reflection and corrective action. In addition to the advisory groups, teachers lead “circles,” small student groups that focus on building trust and addressing problems before they escalate.

There are few elective classes beyond Advanced Placement courses in the upper grades.

Pauline O’Brien became principal in 2014, replacing the school’s founding principal, Joseph Scarmato, who left to take the helm at Tottenville High School. Previously, O’Brien was an assistant principal at the school and a special education teacher.

HSMP opened in 2008 and is housed in the Canarsie Educational Campus building, which it shares with the Urban Action Academy and the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media. Students in all schools may participate in campus-wide sports teams. (Laura Zingmond, web reports, December 2018; photo from school's website)

 

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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?
 
85%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
59%
Average daily attendance
 
86%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
48%
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide and 2022-23 NYC School Survey

Students

393
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
100%
Students with disabilities
 
12%
Multilingual learners
 
10%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
0%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
83%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
49%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
32%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
78%
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?
 
67%
10.0
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
459
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?
 
97%
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

Not offered in 2021-21

Physics

Not offered in 2021-21

Advanced Foreign Language

Not offered in 2021-21

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
7%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
22%

Music

Not offered in 2021-21
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?
 
54%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
35%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
51%
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?
 
43%
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?
 
62%
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

High School for Medical Professions (L49A)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Program Description:

Our program utilizes many partnerships with community based organizations to provide exposure to different healthcare professions. Overall academic performance will determine the access to these opportunities for individual students.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, AP Psychology, AP Statistics, AP World History: Modern, Chemistry (Advanced Science), Other (College Course [Uncredited])

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Football, Handball, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Soccer

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

1600 Rockaway Parkway
Brooklyn NY 11236

Trains: L Line to Canarsie - Rockaway Parkway

Buses: B103, B17, B42, B6, B60, B82, B82-SBS, BM2


Contact

Principal: Pauline Obrien

Parent Coordinator: Maryann Ruggiero

Phone: 718-290-8700

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Canarsie Educational Campus with two other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? Yes

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