Choosing a school at any age is a difficult thing, especially in NYC. There is a whole industry devoted to helping you navigate the process here. All the experts I’ve spoken to have given a thumbs up to Insideschools, which operates independent of the DOE. They have developed a new tool to help you find the right high school for your child called Insidestats. You can use it to find answers to your most pressing questions – is the school safe, what is the graduation rate, are the teachers liked, do they have college prep support, and on and on.
It was created by Insideschools.org and the Center for New York City Affairs, and is an online scorecard that provides in-depth data on 422 New York City high schools.
Complimenting the reviews for which Insideschools.org is known, Insidestats provides detailed, up-to-date information across five areas:
- “At-A-Glance” Statistics: Number of students, daily attendance, uniforms.
- Safety & Vibe: Average class size, student ratings of teachers and principals, order and discipline.
- Who Graduates: Graduation and drop-out data.
- College Prep: Advanced Placement scores, college enrollment rates.
- Special Ed and ELL: Inclusion of disabled students in school activities, success of English Language Learners.
And if you didn’t get into a high school or you don’t like the one you have been accepted to, you can meet representatives from these schools at the second-round high school fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 6th and Aprll 7th at the Martin Luther King Educational Campus at 65th and Amsterdam in Manhattan. For more information on this and for recommendations for schools that still have room, go here.