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Bushwick Leaders High School for Academic Excellence
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Brooklyn NY

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.
Admissions: Educational option. The school seeks students with a range of academic performance. (Lydie Raschka, web reports, December 2018)
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School Stats
Is this school safe and well-run?
From 2018-19 NYC School Survey
From 2017-18 NY State Report Card
From this school's most recent Quality Review Report
From 2018-19 School Quality Guide
How do students perform academically?
From 2018-19 School Quality Guide
Who does this school serve?
From 2019-20 Demographic Snapshot
From 2018-19 School Quality Guide
From 2020 School Directories
How does this school serve special populations?
From 2018-19 School Quality Guide
Programs & Admissions
From the 2021 High School Directory
Program Description:
Dual Language programs are designed to integrate English Language Learners with English-proficient students to receive content instruction in English and a target language.
Academics
Language Courses
Spanish
Advanced Placement (AP) courses
AP Spanish Language and Culture, AP Human Geography, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Language and Composition, AP United States History, AP Environmental Science
Sports
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
Contact & Location
Location
Contact
Other Details
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