Our Insights
What’s Special
Extra tutoring; opportunities for public speaking
The Downside
Fewer sports than a larger school can offer
Great Oaks Charter is a small 6-12 school that offers a longer school day, tutoring in reading, writing and math, and daily small group advisories. A staff member connects with families weekly, and each student has a coach who checks in daily. There is a social worker for each grade level.
Academics & Instruction: Teachers focus a lot on helping students master skills. Students in all grades compile a portfolio of their individual work throughout the year, culminating in an oral defense that showcases their growth, identifies areas for improvement, and links to their career and life goals. They also conduct their own parent-student-teacher conferences four times a year to better explain and evaluate their progress.
Students receive significant one-to-one attention with the help of up to 30 AmeriCorps volunteers who provide tutoring during the day and lead after-school activities. To improve reading skills, students attend a daily literacy class where they read alone, with a partner, or with a teacher or tutor. They explore a variety of literature, from a contemporary story about Harlem to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Students work in groups on real world problems. All grade levels participate in "round tables," presenting their research to staff and community members. For instance, 10th-graders studied an athlete's performance, each focusing on different body systems, while 11th-graders conducted experiments on plant growth mediums.
Music, physical education, and visual arts are offered during the school day. Middle schoolers may also join Hands in 4 Youth, an on-site after-school program that runs until 6 pm, offering homework help and activities like photography, drama, cooking, and sports. High schoolers may take classes like audio mixing at Greenwich House across the street. Female students may try rugby, pickleball, or skating.
The third Wednesday of the month is half a day for students, with activities that may include a dance-off, karaoke, a fashion show, or hallway races.
One downside: Small schools like this one are not typically able to offer as many competitive sports as a larger school.
Special Education: The school welcomes students with disabilities. Each classroom has two teachers, one of whom is trained to teach special education. Often a classroom has one or more teacher-residents (tutors), who are typically enrolled in New York University.
Building & Facilities: Located in the West Village, Great Oaks occupies the former Lady of Pompeii Catholic School. Great Oaks is part of a Newark, New Jersey-based charter school organization that began in 2011. The middle school opened in 2013; the high school in 2022.
College & Career: All high school students take a college and career readiness class. (Lydie Raschka, web reports and phone interview, March 2024)
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School Stats
Is this school safe and well-run?
From the 2022-2023 NYC School Survey
From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card
From 2023 End-of-year Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism Report
How do students perform academically?
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide
Who does this school serve?
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide
Contact & Location
Location
240 Bleecker Street
Manhattan
NY
10014
Trains: to Spring St; , to Grand St; , to Delancey St-Essex St; , to Bowery
Buses: M9, M14A, M15, M15-SBS, M103, B39
Contact
Other Details
This school is in its own building.
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