Our Insights
What’s Special
Personal attention; Japanese and Italian lessons
The Downside
Little racial or ethnic diversity
New Heights Academy Charter School provides students in grades 5 to 12 a safe, structured environment and the chance to learn Japanese or Italian. While many students enter with weak skills, most graduate on time, and top students have been admitted to selective colleges such as New York University, Barnard, Colgate and Middlebury.
Like many charter schools, New Heights follows a traditional style of teaching, with teachers at the front of the class and desks in rows. Timers beep to instruct when to stop working on the assigned task. Students wear uniforms and the school has a no-nonsense attitude toward goofing off.
“Because it is small, the teachers are on top of you, in a good way,” a senior told us. “If you come in late one time, they call home.”
“There is a sense of community,” another senior told us. However, the school is almost entirely Latino, and students said they are disappointed they haven’t been exposed to different racial and ethnic groups.
The school is housed on several floors of a renovated former office building. High school students may leave the building for lunch. Middle school students have recess in a nearby park.
SPECIAL EDUCATION: The school has several learning specialists and has expanded special education services in recent years.
ADMISSIONS: Lottery. Most students are admitted in 5th grade, but the school fills openings in the upper grades. Five to 10 students are admitted in 9th grade. (Clara Hemphill, school website, statistics and interview with students, June 2018)
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School Stats
Is this school safe and well-run?
From the 2023-2024 NYC School Survey
From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card
How do students perform academically?
From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database
From the 2023-24 School Quality Guide
Who does this school serve?
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot
From the 2023-24 School Quality Guide
How does this school serve special populations?
From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database
Contact & Location
Location
1818 Amsterdam Avenue
Manhattan
NY
10031
Trains:
to 145th St;
to 155th St;
,
,
to 145th St
Buses: M3, M4, M5, M100, M101, Bx6, Bx19
Contact
Other Details
This school is in its own building.
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