New Dorp High School

New Dorp High School offers students the attention and support typically found in smaller schools as well as the big-school perks of expansive facilities, lots of Advanced Placement (AP) and college-level courses, a massive sports programs and many extracurricular activities.

The school’s writing program, called the Hochman Method, has become a model for the city. Key to its success is that teachers in all subjects have adopted the method, which means they use the same language and practices whether it’s a math teacher discussing how students should explain their approach to solving a problem or a history teacher critiquing essays. Since the method was introduced in 2009, students’ scores on English and history Regents exams have risen steadily and now exceed the citywide average.

This large, well-run school benefits from strong leadership and a thoughtful structure. The school is organized into programs known as SLCs (small learning communities), each with its own director, faculty, guidance counselor, school aide and theme.

The SLC design allows for a lot of staff collaboration; teachers in each SLC have a daily common period during which they meet to share ideas, develop lessons and devise plans to help individual students.

Each SLC appeals to a different range of interests: communications and media, law and JROTC, math and science, forensics, health, fine arts and drama, teaching, and business and software engineering. These programs deliver on their themes through a combination of required and elective classes, as well as theme-related activities. For instance, the Institute of Forensic Science offers hands-on learning in crime scene photography, crime writing/forensic statistics and biotechnology, a lot of it conducted in a well-equipped crime lab. Among their activities, students in The Academy of Communication and Media Arts (ACMA) film school events and create promotional media; they also created the citywide training video on safe school evacuations, according to longtime principal Deirdre DeAngelis.

The Math & Science Institute, which accepts students with good grades and test scores, has the most demanding course load. Students take several AP courses in different subjects and in the upper grades specialize in either medical science or engineering.

DeAngelis, who has been principal since 1999, consistently gets top marks from teachers on matters of trust and leadership, based on responses to the annual NYC School Survey. During her tenure she has found ways to enhance the SLCs, including partnerships and improved facilities.

With support from a local physical therapy provider, the health science SLC provides hands-on exposure to athletic training and physical therapy in an on-site, professionally equipped therapy lab. By the time they graduate, students in the Air Force JROTC program, which is headed by a certified pilot and instructor, complete all their coursework and simulator training hours required to become a licensed pilot. The culinary program, which was put on pause for a couple of years, is slated to reopen after construction is completed on a new commercial-grade teaching kitchen.

College-level courses are plentiful and are open to all students across the school. In addition to more than a dozen AP courses, there are College Now programs with College of Staten Island and Kingsborough Community College, as well as college courses for credit taught on-site through partnerships with St. John's University and SUNY Oneonta.

There’s a dedicated college office, and guidance counselors visit English classes to walk juniors through the college admissions process. Graduating students go on to CUNY and SUNY schools in addition to highly selective private colleges and universities.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: New Dorp works hard to integrate special-needs students with general-education students and involve students of all abilities in classes and after-school activities. There are a range of services and supports, including self-contained and ICT (integrated co-teaching) classes. There are also two specialized programs: Horizon provides students who need more intensive support in small self-contained classes with the opportunity to take general-education electives and academic classes when possible; the other is for students with Asperger's syndrome and follows an inclusion model with extra support from paraprofessionals.

There is a range of dedicated classes for beginning and intermediate English language learners as well as push-in support in general-education classes by ENL (English-as-new-language) instructors.

ADMISSIONS: Admissions to the Math & Science Institute is based on a review of students’ grades, state test scores and record of attendance. Admission to all other themed programs is based on the educational option formula, which is designed to admit a mix of low-, average- and high-achieving students. Students who live in the school’s zone are guaranteed admission to the zoned program only but are encouraged to apply to theme programs too. Once admitted to the zoned program, students choose an SLC to join depending on seat availability. Students may apply to switch to another SLC at the end of 9th grade, space permitting. (Laura Zingmond, February 2015; updated via interview February 2018)