Civic Leadership Academy

Civic Leadership Academy is a close-knit, high-performing school that serves a range of students well. Most children complete high school on time, ready to do college-level work, including children with special needs or learning to speak English. “It is a great school for children who definitely need more help and is rewarding for students who work hard,” wrote a student on our website. The school opened in September 2008 in the Elmhurst Educational Center.

In addition to strong academics, school surveys show the school has a safe and welcoming tone. “Here you will feel accepted (I went from a big middle school where I did not even know my principal to this small high school) even if you're the kind that doesn't always seem to 'fit in',” another student wrote. Guidance counselors encourage kids to aim high and branch out geographically, to apply to private colleges as well as CUNY and SUNY schools. One student applied to Harvard and a couple others to NYU and Barnard.

The school does not have outdoor fields for traditional PSAL sports teams but kids may join rugby or table tennis teams. Aerobics, weight training and basketball are campus-wide. Civic Leadership has its own gym.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: Founding principal Phuong Nguyen was a special education teacher. The Quality Review praises the way teachers work with children with special needs. 

ADMISSIONS: Educational Option. The school seeks a range of low-, middle- and high-achievers. (Lydie Raschka, web reports and DOE data, August 2018)