Four days before the vote that will determine whether the city can close 20 schools this year, the Department of Education released a list of their replacements.
The DOE is making a pretty safe bet — the citywide panel that will decide these schools’ fate next week has never voted down any of the chancellor’s proposals.
It’s difficult to understand what next year will look like because information about the closures has come out in drips and in Educational Impact Statements no civilian should have to read. Hoping to make the picture a little less foggy, I’ve compiled a list of all the schools that are slated for closure and their planned replacements.
When possible, I’ve included enrollment sizes and descriptions of the new schools. Some new schools’ impact statements are so vague and full of edu-speak, it remains well-nigh impossible to know how they’ll be pedagogically different from the schools they replace.
Brooklyn
Metropolitan Corporate Academy (9-12; District 15; enrollment: 419): Replaced by Boreum Hill Community High School for Young Men, an all-boys 9-12 school for 200-250 students who have struggled in traditional high school settings. Principal: Lorraine Gutierrez
Middle School for Academic and Social Excellence (6-8; District 17; enrollment: 237): No replacement
Paul Robeson High School (9-12; District 17; enrollment: 1,020): No replacement
William H. Maxwell CTE High School (9-12; District 19; enrollment: 985): Replaced by Academy for Health Careers, a 9-12 school with a focus on preparing students to enter the health care services industry upon graduation. It will serve 425-450 students. Principal: Deonne Martin.
P.S. 332 (PK-8; District 23; enrollment: 500): Replaced by a district and a charter school. The district school, A Great Start Academy, will be a K-5 school serving between 330-360 students and its principal will be Jacqueline Danvers-Coombs. It will share the building with Collegiate Charter School, a 5-8 school that will serve 250-270 students.
Bronx
Alfred E. Smith CTE High School (9-12; District 7): Educational Impact Statement that would offer some clues as to what is replacing this school has been removed from the DOE website. It’s being changed to reflect the DOE’s decision to keep the school’s automotive program.
School for Community Research and Learning (9-12; District 8; enrollment: 385): Replaced by the Bronx Bridges Community High School, a 9-12 school that will join the many other small schools currently sharing the Stevenson Complex. It will serve 325-475 students. Principal: Pablo Villavicencio.
Frederick Douglass Academy III’s middle school grades (6-8; District 9): No replacement
Christopher Columbus High School (9-12; District 11; enrollment: 1,423) & Global Enterprise High School (9-12; enrollment: 473): Replaced by KAPPA International School, an already existing school in District 10 that will grow from serving grades 9-11 to 9-12, serving 450 students.
New Day Academy (6-12; District 12; enrollment: 461): Replaced by Izquierdo Charter School, a 6-12 school that will serve 550-600 students.
Monroe Academy for Business/Law (9-12; District 12; enrollment: 475): No replacement.
Manhattan
Norman Thomas High School (9-12; District 2; enrollment: 2,179): Replaced by two high schools, each of which will serve 400-500 students.
- Manhattan Academy for Arts and Language: a 9-12 school for English Language Learners that will have an arts education focus. Principal: Siv Boletsis.
- Murray Hill Academy: a 9-12 school. Principal: Anita Manninen-Felix.
Academy of Environmental Science (8-12; District 4; enrollment: 452): Replaced by the Renaissance Charter High School for Innovation, a 9-12 school that will serve 400-500 students. Principal: Nicholas Tishuk
KAPPA II (6-8; District 5; enrollment: 142): Replaced by the Harlem Success Academy II, an existing school that serves grades K-4. Educational Impact Statement does not say how many students HSA II will have.
Academy of Collaborative Education (6-8; District 5; enrollment: 195): Educational Impact Statement says there will be a new school here, but there’s no mention of a replacement in the “new schools” section under District 5.
Choir Academy of Harlem‘s high school grades (9-12; District 5): Educational Impact Statement says there will be a new high school here, but there’s no mention of a replacement in the “new schools” section under District 5.
Queens
Beach Channel High School (9-12; District 27; enrollment: 1,345): Replaced by Rockaway Park High School for Environmental Sustainability, a 9-12 school with a focus on environmental sustainability that will serve 400-500 students. Students will be able to study organic foods and nutrition, green-building, and renewable energy. The school will offer certification in green carpentry or culinary arts. Principal: Jennifer Connolly.
Jamaica High School (9-12; District 28; enrollment: 1,527): Replaced by two high schools, each of which will serve 400-500 students.
- High School for Community Leadership: a 9-12 school with an educational plan that mentions internships and community service projects. Principal: Carlos Borrero.
- Hillside Arts and Letters Academy: a 9-12 school with an emphasis on visual arts, music, and writing. Principal: Matthew Ritter.
School of Business, Computer Applications and Entrepreneurship (9-12; District 29; enrollment: 488): Replaced by Cambria Heights Academy, a 9-12 school that will eventually serve 400-500 students and will have a technology focus. Principal: Melissa Menake.