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Our Insights

What’s Special

Dual language Spanish program

The Downside

Poor attendance

Bushwick Leaders High School is a tiny school that strives to give students who struggled in middle school the individual attention they need to catch up and graduate. Most students speak Spanish at home. The school opened a dual language Spanish program in 2018. 

The school serves primarily the Bushwick community where most of its students live, though some travel from East New York, Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Williamsburg and Cypress Hills, according to the Comprehensive Educational Plan

Teachers schedule extra long periods of math and reading to boost the skills of incoming students who have fallen behind in middle school. Attendance is a struggle; more than half the students miss at least a month of school. 

Students are placed in small, gender-based advisory groups for extra support. Good Shepherd Services provides during- and after-school tutoring and instruction in small groups. They also offer gym, art, music, boxing and dance classes. 

Opened in 2003, Bushwick Leaders is affiliated with East Brooklyn Congregations, a consortium of churches and homeowners' associations that works to rebuild communities in Brownsville, East New York and Bushwick. Long-time principal Catherine Reilly has spent more than 30 years in the neighborhood as an educator, guidance counselor, advocate and principal.

The school is housed in a 19th century building that was once a home for the aged of the Roman Catholic Little Sisters of Sorrow. The building has renovated science labs and a library with a multimedia theater, wireless laptops and two lounge areas. The library is named after Frank J. Bisignano, the chief administrative officer at JPMorgan Chase who has helped raise money for the school.  (Lydie Raschka, web reports, December 2018)

 

 

 

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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?
 
89%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
76%
How many English language learners graduate in 4 years?
 
81%
Average daily attendance
 
79%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
64%
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

364
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
92%
Students with disabilities
 
26%
Multilingual learners
 
31%
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?
 
76%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
50%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
39%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
54%
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?
 
62%
2.7
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
97
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?
 
68%
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

 
8%

Physics

Not offered in 2021-21

Advanced Foreign Language

 
15%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
26%

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?
 
43%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
48%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
31%
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?
 
37%
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?
 
54%
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

Bushwick Leaders High School for Academic Excellence (K36A)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Calculus AB, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Language and Composition, AP Spanish Language and Culture, AP Statistics, AP Studio Art - 2D, AP United States History, AP World History: Modern, Chemistry (Advanced Science), Other (College Course [Credited]), Social Studies (College Course [Credited]), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Handball, Soccer

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Softball, Tennis, Volleyball

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

976 Seneca Ave
Queens NY 11385

Trains: L Line to Halsey St; M Line to Forest Av

Buses: B13, B20, B26, B38, B52, B54, Q39, Q55, Q58, QM24, QM25, QM34


Contact

Principal: Enrique Garcia

Parent Coordinator: Melissa De Los Santos

Phone: 718-919-4212

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? No

This school is in its own building.

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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