Highland Park Community School

Opened in 2014 in the IS 171 building in Cypress Hills, Highland Park Community School aims to give students a solid background in math, science and engineering through fun projects designed to find solutions to real-world problems.

They may learn to write computer code for video games, or learn why some communities don’t have access to fresh food, or explore the importance of access to clean water, according to the school website.

Principal Jamilah Seifullah was a founding teacher at P-TECH, a Brooklyn high school designed to give students two years of college.  A Bronx native, she was a software engineer at Verizon for eight years before becoming a teacher.

The school faces many challenges. Attendance is poor, and some teachers and students complain about order and discipline. Most students arrive with poor academic skills. However, most teachers say the principal is an effective manager and recommend the school to prospective parents, according to school surveys. 

Admissions: District 19. (Clara Hemphill, web reports, April 2019)