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Robert H. Goddard High School of Communication Arts and Technology

Grades: 9-12
Staff Pick for Special Ed

Our Insights

What’s Special

Art and technology focus

The Downside

Not as many clubs as a larger school can offer

Robert H. Goddard High School of Communication Arts and Technology is a nicely integrated, mid-sized school that offers a good array of arts and technology classes but also a strong foundation in math, science, reading, writing and research. The school, founded in 2008, offers other perks, too, such as fish farming and hydroponics, theater and museum visits, and trips to science laboratories. Classrooms are equipped with enough computers for every student, thanks to a partnership with Apple Computers. Children get to know Apple MacBook Pros, 3-D printers, digital Elmo computers and Photoshop. In the digital art studio and science lab teens build and operate robots and develop projects for the science fair.

The day starts early, at 7 a.m. and yet despite the early start the attendance rate is good. Teachers mix up class lectures with videos, audio clips and web-based activities to keep kids interested and engaged, according to the comprehensive educational plan (CEP).

Principal Joseph Birgeles, who taught social studies in the middle school, is respected by staff and no-nonsense when it comes to academics. In his letter to parents on the school website he said children must pass their classes in order to attend a school dance or senior event, and do lunchtime detention if they are late to school.

Every child must take four years of math and science. A selection of courses listed on the website includes Greek mythology, health in film, the history of Latin America, coding and journalism. Studio art and digital art are among the offerings. The art department has its own website with samples of student work.

Teachers, most of whom have more than three years of teaching experience, keep close tabs on children’s academic progress. They frequently assess students’ reading levels to make sure they are reading books they can understand. Extra help is offered during lunch and after school in a credit recovery program. Ninth grade teachers meet weekly to make sure incoming students are on-track.

The high school shares a building with a middle school of the same name, the Robert H. Goddard School. There are sports teams, and clubs, including chess, cheerleading and drama, but it is not the exhaustive list of clubs a larger school would be able to offer.

Three guidance counselors help with college admissions. Most children attend City University of New York two-year and four-year colleges.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: Goddard is proud of how it serves children with special needs and teens learning to speak English, most of whom graduate on time. Teachers tailor class assignment and homework to individual abilities. They offer summer tutoring for exam prep, vocabulary instruction, reading fluency, comprehension and writing instruction. (Lydie Raschka, web reports and DOE data, August 2018)

[Photo: Tdorante10, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons]

 

 

 

 

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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?
 
95%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
92%
Average daily attendance
 
90%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
34%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
100%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
100%
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide and 2022-23 NYC School Survey

Students

611
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
76%
Students with disabilities
 
16%
Multilingual learners
 
5%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
1%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
92%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
31%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
23%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
90%
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?
 
97%
13.0
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
198
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?
 
95%
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

 
11%

Physics

 
11%

Advanced Foreign Language

 
19%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
21%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
11%

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?
 
82%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
89%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
64%
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?
 
42%
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?
 
66%
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

Robert H. Goddard High School of Communication (Q02A)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Art History, AP Biology, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Psychology, AP Studio Art - Drawing, AP United States History, AP World History: Modern, Chemistry (Advanced Science), Econ/Gov (College Course [Credited]), Physics (Advanced Science), Science (College Course [Credited]), Social Studies (College Course [Credited]), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Soccer

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Soccer, Softball

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

138-30 Lafayette Street
Queens NY 11417

Buses: B15, BM5, Q11, Q21, Q41, Q52-SBS, Q53-SBS, Q7, QM15


Contact

Principal: Joseph Birgeles

Parent Coordinator: Roselyn Corcino Pino

Phone: 718-848-8357

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares a building with JHS 202

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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