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DREAM Charter High School

Grades: 9-12
Noteworthy

Our Insights

What’s Special

Innovative curriculum; free after-school and summer programs

The Downside

Too soon to tell

DREAM Charter opened its high school in September 2017, building on its model of offering solid academics and a supportive environment to East Harlem students. The school’s strong ties to the well-regarded DREAM organization (formerly known as Harlem RBI) allow for after-school and summer activities available to all students

Jared R. Francis, the founding principal for the high school, grew up in East Harlem. He was assistant principal at Fahari Academy Charter School and cofounder of Lyons Community School in Brooklyn, where he adopted a non-punitive approach to discipline known as restorative justice.

The high school curriculum is innovative. It includes two 9th grade math classes, one in problem solving and one in algebra. There are also two 9th grade English classes including a writing seminar and a literature class. Students read contemporary American fiction such as Kite Runner and The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Woo and non-fiction such as Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Classes run 90 minutes on alternating days, which gives teachers more time to delve deeply into lessons and projects. All students are given a laptop computer to use during the day at school.

Students are assigned to an advisory group that meets daily in the morning. Starting in 10th grade, students are assigned to a college counselor.

The high school is housed in a separate location, roughly 15 blocks away from the main DREAM Charter building, which serves grades k to 8.

There are a range of after-school activities and sports such as debate, student life committee, basketball and soccer. The DREAM organization also organizes summer learning opportunities and helps students get paid summer jobs.

ADMISSIONS: By lottery with priority to District 4 residents. The school also reserves seats for students living in public housing. (Laura Zingmond, web reports, February 2018; photo from school's website)

 

School Stats

Academics

School
Citywide
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
82%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achive the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
100%
From the 2020-21 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

935
Number of students
624 Citywide Average

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
88%
Students with disabilities
 
28%
Multilingual learners
 
5%
From the 2020-21 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
94%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
25%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
16%
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
76%

Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity


From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey, 2020-21 School Quality Guide, 2019-20 NY State Report Card, 2021 Guidance Counselor Report and this school's most recent Quality Review Report
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Contact & Location

Location

439 East 115th Street
New York NY 10029

Trains: N/A

Buses: M101, M102, M103, M106, M116, M15, M15-SBS, M35, M98


Contact

Principal: Jared R. Francis

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? No

This school is in its own building.

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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