“Maker Academy” among new NYC high schools opening in September

The nine new high schools opening in New York City in September include one focused on the “maker” movement of using technology in new ways. That information is contained in a guide to new schools that the Department of Education released today, days before most eighth graders are set to learn which high school they will attend.

Some of those new schools had previously been announced, including the Nelson Mandela School for Social Justice. That school is set to open inside Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn — to the chagrin of that school’s principal.

Details about other schools had not previously been announced, even as their general approaches were public. Some of their locations have also been in dispute, as Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced new sites for two high schools set to serve grades 9-14 last week.

Urban Assembly Maker Academy, part of a network of schools operated by the Urban Assembly nonprofit, is one. The school’s description describes it as featuring “new kinds of classroom experiences that recreate what the workplace looks and feels like for tech professionals.” 

The city now plans to open that school inside of the Murry Bergtraum High School building, along with Manhattan Early College High School for Advertising.

Students who are not matched with any high school, or do not like their match, can apply to schools with space after the main placement round. They can also sign up to attend new schools that were not among the options when they first applied.