Invictus Preparatory Charter School

NOTE: THIS SCHOOL WAS CLOSED IN 2018. Founded in 2011 in East New York, Invictus Preparatory Charter School offers a longer school day and year for children in grades 5 to 8. Students take trips to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Bronx Zoo, Governors Island, the American Museum of Natural History and Ellis Island, according to the school website.

The school day runs from 7:30 am to 4 pm. A summer camp focuses on science, technology, engineering and math, while incorporating leadership and fitness skills. In addition to spending extra time in reading, math and science, Invictus students study art, music, dance and photography. Teens analyze and recite the poetry of Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes and other writers in a hip-hop/spoken word class, according to the website.

Math scores are average for the district, but English language arts test scores are improving and are now slightly above the district-wide average. Invictus offers Algebra, and US History and Government Regents courses.

Invictus had an uneven start, with the loss of its founding leader at the end of its second year, due to his lack of clear direction, and exceptionally high teacher turnover, followed by two more leaders who came and went, according to a summary prepared by the State University of New York. Principal Camille Bell arrived in 2015; most teachers trust her and feel she has a clear vision, according to the 2015-2016 NYC School Survey.

Invictus shares a building with JHS 218, and the two middle schools host a joint field day and a joint science fair for all students. The School for Classics, a high school, is also in the building.[see photo from school website of a community service project with PS 218]

Although most students feel safe at school, many teachers and students flagged order and discipline as a problem on the surveys. The school uses restorative circles to help children talk to each other when they are not getting along, according to the school handbook.

ADMISSIONS: Lottery. Preference to District 19. (Lydie Raschka, web reports and data, August 2017)