I.S. 171 Abraham Lincoln

IS 171, Abraham Lincoln Intermediate School, is a welcoming neighborhood school in Cypress Hills that offers free after-school activities and extra help applying to high school.

Principal Indira Mota, who took the helm in January 2014, is credited with stabilizing the school after a tumultuous period of rapid turnover of leadership. Teachers say she is an effective leader, based on responses to the NYC School Survey.  

Students feel respected and safe and the school welcomes students from all cultures, according to the city’s evaluation called the Quality Review. Students come from countries such as the Dominican Republic, Haiti, China and Yemen and more than one-quarter are still learning English.

One nice touch, teachers hold weekly open office hours for parents to come in to discuss their child’s performance.

Students and families receive individual help applying to high school as part of the Middle School Student Success Center. Rather than simply attending the high schools closest to home, children are steered to schools with stronger records and, in recent years, some have been accepted to specialized high schools and arts schools, according to the school’s Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP).

Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation runs a free after-school program for students. Activities typically include homework help, a range of art programs, computer coding, robotics and sports.

Test scores typically fall below the citywide average and among the ways the school is addressing this is to expose students to more challenging reading material across all grades, according to the CEP.

MS 171 shares its facilities with Highland Park Community School.

ADMISSIONS: Priority to students living in its zone. The school typically has space for students from across District 19. (Laura Zingmond, web reports, May 2019; photo from principal's Twitter feed)