Bayside High School

Bayside is a large neighborhood school with an array of themed programs open to students from outside its attendance zone including music, art, computer science, sports medicine and management, environmental science and humanities. The school’s graduation and college-readiness rates are very high, far exceeding the citywide average.

The school’s size is its strength, and students not intimidated by a big school may find Bayside to be a strong option. Bayside teaches six languages: French, Spanish, Japanese, Latin, Korean and Chinese. There are many Advanced Placement classes as well as clubs, sports and elective classes.

Nearly all students take a college-level course or earn professional certification in a skill by graduation. Many students graduate with an Advanced Regents diploma, which requires passing a more demanding range of courses, including several years of math and science.

Partnerships with industry and grants help provide equipment, and Bayside's facilities seem more akin to those at a suburban high school than one in the city. The most recent addition is a new music recording studio under construction during the 2017-18 school year.

Longtime principal Michael Athy designed the themed programs to teach useful job skills to students who need or want to work while attending college.

The Digital Art & Design program combines traditional studio art and journalism with digital technology.

In Music: Performance and productions, students learn to perform and produce both instrumental and vocal music. Beginners as well as experienced musicians are welcome.

In Humanities & Non-Profit Management, students develop writing and presentation skills and learn to write grant proposals and develop and manage projects.

Environmental Engineering & Technology gives students hands-on training in engineering and environmental science, helping them prepare for green careers.

Two CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs, Computer Programming & Web Design and Sports Medicine & Management, offer the opportunity to earn professional certifications while taking a full academic load in preparation for attending college.

In recent years, the school reduced student enrollment by several hundred to a more manageable size of 3,200. Still, the large facility operates on two staggered sessions, with some students starting classes first period of the day and others not until third period, according to the parent coordinator.

To make the big school less intimidating for students, guidance counselors each manage a caseload of roughly 200 students spread across all the grades, so no one has a majority load of graduating seniors or nervous freshmen. Although the school has no dedicated college counselors, each student has a guidance counselor who speaks his home language and who will guide the student through the college admissions process as well as keep track of credit accumulation and encourage involvement in extracurricular activities.

Bayside boasts a high rate of college admissions. Many students attend four-year colleges, including SUNY, CUNY and private schools. Top students have been admitted to highly selective schools in and out-of-state

SPECIAL EDUCATION: Most of the students with IEPs are in ICT (integrated collaborative teaching) classes. Students in self-contained classes have different teachers for individual subjects, and teachers are dually certified in their subject area and in special education.

ADMISSIONS: Students residing within Bayside's zone may attend the zoned program but are encouraged to apply to one of themed programs, which are open to students from all over Queens. Admissions to the art, music, humanities and environmental programs are based on a review of students’ grades, test scores, attendance and punctuality; the art and music programs also require an audition. Admissions to the computer science and sports medicine programs follow the educational option formula, designed to admit a mix of low-, average- and high-achieving of students. (Laura Zingmond, via interview and web reports, February 2018)