public High Schools in Brooklyn
 

Will be relocating to NYC for job. Can anyone tell me what neighborhood Abraham Lincoln High School is in..the zip is 11235. I am trying to research apts but nothing comes up in that zip code. Any other info on good public high schools would be great. I am an RN and will be at one of the local hospitals. [email protected]

Go to google and type in Abraham Lincoln High School Brooklyn NY - you will get tons of info. There will also be many websites that have educational stats that would help you.

PS - according to Wikipedia, that is the high school that the gang all attened on "Friends" and has a long, impressive list of graduates.

Ocean Pwy and West Ave.

Good luck.
Deb

Denise, I am a former Brooklynite and I am curious where are you currently living? When are you planning on moving to Brooklyn?

I went to HS in Bklyn and raised two kids in Manhattan who went to very good public schools. I don't think that students go to 'neighborhood' high schools as was the case when I went to school. You apply to schools - obviously the ones that are the best. Also, there are several public high schools that have admission by exam only. DS1 went to Bronx Science even though we live in Manhattan. It is common for HS students to travel to school. Having said that, I am not sure how good Lincoln is today. It was a very good school years ago, but things change. The HS that I attended is one of the worst in the city today. What grade is your child in now?

I have a friend who works in a HS and I will ask her to check with her admin to find out how Lincoln is. And Lincoln is near Brighton Beach and near Coney Island and near Sheepshead Bay. It's funny that after growing up near there, I'm not exactly sure what the neighborhood is called.

I will get back with more info.

A good website for NYC public high school info is http://insideschools.org/.

Brooklyn Tech is one of NYC's specialized science high schools. A test is necessary to get in. In general NYC no longer has zoned 'neighborhood' high schools. You can apply to (I think) up to 12 schools and prioritize your choices. Some schools have their own critieria including interviews and/or tests. The specialized science schools are separate from this process and base admissions on a standardized test. This test is given in the fall, but I think for students just moving to NYC, there is another sitting in August. You can only enter the specialized school for 9th and 10th grade.

Students living in one borough do not necessarily go to high school in their neighborhood or even their borough. Many kids commute (I have one of those kids!).

Thanks to all for posting and keep the info coming...originally from PA and now living in Raleigh, NC. I know..Raleigh is a great city and I would be crazy to leave?? But, I can't explain it but I have always been drawn to NYC. Like any city it has it's good and bad, but I think it could be a great experience for me and my son. He has wanted to move to a big city for awhile and we have been talking about NYC for about 6 months. We would not move until next summer. As an RN, I will have no trouble finding a job. If I come as a travel nurse, they will also provide housing or give me a subsidy if I find my own. Which is what I would most likely do.

It is all so overwhelming though..which area of the city to chose, schools etc. Ideally, I want to be in an area that I can take advantage of public transportation, be close to the hospital, school, museums etc. Mnahattan would be ideal but I just don't know enough at this point to make an educated choice...so, I am hoping you guys can help me out. My son will be 15 when we make the move. He is a good kid, very athletic and I think he would do well in the city. We have visited several times and both love it!

My email is [email protected] if anyone wants to email any info that they think will be helpful. Open to any and all suggestions!

ALso check out the board of ed website for school stats http://schools.nyc.gov/default.aspx

There are some very good high schools in Manhattan that are a reasonable commute from Brooklyn. In the financial district there's Millenium high school, in the lower east side there's Bard Early College and Nest+M, and in the E 20th there's Baruch. I am not familiar with high schools in Brooklyn except Brooklyn Tech. We live in lower Manhattan and my sons goes to Bronx Science as well (as centralparkdirl's DS1).

The board of ed also publishes a directory every year of all the high schools.

So will your son be entereing 10th grade?

Again, thanks for all the info! Yes, my son would be entering NYC schools as a sophmore. Now, how about apt rentals. I know space is at a premium and we don't need anything more than 2 bedroom. Would love something in a great building, with character and charm but, being realistic. Under 3K a month is what I am aiming for. I have contacted some realtors to give me a little info on broker fees if go that route..also have been looking on CL to get a general idea. What could I get in Manhattan for that amt? Also looking at Brooklyn Heights...if we are not in the city, then we want to be within a 20-30 min subway ride away. Any areas to AVOID...

Thanks again! You guys are so great!

NYC, being an especially large city, has an especially complex and arcane system of school assignments for highschoolers. Apparently there are some neighborhood -based positions ("Zoned"), but entering in 10th grade means that most of the other assignments have been given out.

http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnroll...ns/Methods.htm

If you look at Lincoln High's grade-based assignments, you can see that there are some slots open for sophomores. Check out these charts on "Program seats" vs "Total Applicants":

http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnroll...hool/?sid=1075

I suggest you have a look at the NYTimes web site real estate section to get some perspective on real estate prices in NYC.

There are quite a few listings in Manhattan for 2 bedrooms for $3000 and under - but many are "convertible" 2 bedrooms (the second bedroom is really the dining area and you need to put up a screen or something) or the apartments may have other issues (tiny rooms, weird layouts or bad neighborhoods).

An hour or two spent looking here will give you a better idea of what questions you need to ask before spending any time looking at an apartment:

Is it a fifth floor walk-up?
Is there any staff (super? janitor?) on the premises?
How large are the rooms (exact dimensions - some "bedrooms are about a foot bigger than the bed)
What type of security does the building have?

Separately, besides, first month, last month and security, fees are typically more than a month's rent. And they will require that you show employment with annual income more than 20 times the monthly rent.

Doing some work now will help you pick out some likely neighborhoods based on you place of work (you don;t want a 3 hour daily commute). The real estate section also provides info on some more up and coming neighborhoods where you can get more for your money - like Inwood or Astoria.

I went to Lincoln. The district includes Coney Island and Brighton Beach.

It is on Ocean Parkway and the Belt Parkway.

Please check graduation statistics and reading and math scores. I believe the school is not highly ranked.

After doing some quick research of things you mentioned, it looks like we will do better outside the city in Brooklyn, since schools are not zoned, I will check out the website suggested for schools that meet our needs. What about Queens? Which area is the shortest commute to the city? I hope to be at one of the bigger hospitals in the city..NYU, St. Vincents..

One quick email to a realtor in brooklyn heights and I found that their fee is 13% of annual rent..ouch! Not something we are used to here in NC. But, it will nt deter me. Just need to plan ahead. If it were only me a studio would be great, but need 2 bedrooms that are seperate from rest of living space.

Someone also mentioned that the hospitals often provide subsidy for housing. Any other nurses out there please let me know if this is true if you are an employee of the hospital or only if you are a traveler?

Keep the great info coming!

Brooklyn and Queens are all part of the same city - NYC.

I'd suggest Hunter College HS as one of the best and in Manhattan, and most of the well known hospitals are in Manhattan as well, so you would probably want to look here first.

Columbia Pres
NYU Hospital
Sloan Kettering
Mount Sinai
St. Lukes
Roosevelt
Beth Israel

to name a few.

Also if you have a speciality you might want to look at some of the speciality hospitals in the city.

All that said, nurses are needed in the city, so you should not have a problem finding a postion you would like.

Id suggest coming up to the city for a long weekend and looking around to see what areas of the city feel most comfortable. An area you might want to look at is from 14th ST to 34th on the east side, as there are several hosptitals in the immeidate area, and you would be able to walk to work, and there is an excellent HS on Irving Place and 18th St.

Hope this helps a bit.

I would secure employment first before staking out a neihborhood. If yoy get a job in the Bronx or Queens you do not want to live in Brooklyn, the commute will be very long.

Brooklyn Heights is one of the nicest areas in the City but it is as expensive as Manhattan.

One of the best high schools in Brooklyn that does not require an entrance exam is Madison.

<< I'd suggest Hunter College HS as one of the best and in Manhattan >>

It is, but unfortunately, admission is in the 7th grade and after an exam by invitation only given the previous year (DS2 is an alum). Entering as a soph, you will need to look at regular admission schools.

Add to the list of Manhattan hospitals:
Lenox Hill Hospital
Hospital for Special Surgery
Hospital for Joint Diseases

denisern - before you cross living in Manhattan off your list, check out the Upper East Side. Real estate is strange. As downtown areas have gotten gentrified and very hot, some of the prices here have become more reasonable (not brand new condos though). I know quite a few young people on the UES who can't afford to live downtown. I've lived here for years and it's a very safe area and a few minutes walk to four hospitals and near the subway. There's also a new small HS on 76th St. And I agree with nytraveler that you need to know where you will be working before finding an apartment so that your travel time is kept to a minimum.

You really, really need to understand what your options might be for high schools. You can't consider Hunter College HS; they only admit kids in 7th grade, and are specifically for gifted kids who have achieved high scores in state exams. Options for a kid arriving during the summer before 10th grade, in other words after everybody else has already gotten their assignments for fall, might be slim pickin's.

I meant nytraveler and aduchamp1.

LOL, Centralparkgirl beat me to it! That's what I get for multitasking, trying to watch TV and post at the same time.

anonymous, but our great minds think alike!

I have heard but I am not positive that there is a high school affliated with Kingsborough Community College, which is in the Manhattan Beach section of Brooklyn. I think that this High School is specialized. There is also Morrow H.S. that you must also apply to.

You should also think about Queens, Forest Hills and Bayside High School have always had excellent reputations. Forest Hills has tons of co-ops/condos and high rise apartment buildings. If you decide on Queens, you would be better off working in uptown Manhattan or a hospital on Long Island.

Lower thru Midtown would work if you lived in Brooklyn. Also remember that Brooklyn is huge, it used to be said (I don't think that it is true anymore) that if Brooklyn was a city, it would be the nation's fourth largest.

Think about whether you will have a car here. How important is accessible parking to you? Believe me that can make or break a neighborhood for me. Many people live in the NYC without cars; a lot of people rent a car for the few times they need it and take cabs and car services everywhere else. For some this is actually cheaper than owning a car in the city.

Also, think about the suburbs. I don't really love NJ, but I live here as a compromise with my DH. Many suburbs have cheaper rents and Manhattan is very accessible, and many have excellent school systems.

Here is a list of "noteworthy" high schools in NYC:
http://insideschools.org/fs/school_s...mh_results.php

Just because they are noteworthy, does not necessarily mean they are good, BUT all the good schools are on this list. You have to then click on the school name from this list to see some basic stats and info about the school. The stats include things like attendence and graduation rates. These rates should be high for the school to be good. It also list demographics and has some parent/student comments as well as some general information. You can also check more details stats on the board of ed website.

If you look at a school like Stuyvesant, Hunter or Bronx Science, you will see that the stats are very good, but those are among the most selective schools. Also note some of the schools listed are selective, but selection criteria does vary.

You should look through this list, cross check stats with the board of ed website and even try calling the schools directly explaining that you'll be moving to NYC, etc. From there you may get an idea of what kind of options you have. As already mentioned, some schools, like Hunter do not admit any more students after the 7th grade entrance exam, and the specialized science schools (the 3 big one, and now there are 3 smaller ones) only take students into 9th and 10th grades, based soley on the entrance exam given in Oct (and I think Aug for new students moving to the area). If your son is artistically oriented, visual or performing (drama, dance, music, etc) LaGuardia is another selective school worth looking into.

NYC is a mixed bag of schools. There are some great ones and some awful ones with several in between. It is important to do your research, see what may be available, and if possible take a tour of the school (most schools hold tours in the fall).

I believe LaGuardia only takes students into 9th grade with applications/auditions in 8th grade.

Agree Hunter is not an option - this is a high school for gifted children (based on grades and standard tests taken in 6th grade - and those candidates invited have to score in the 98th percentile nationally) - or did when I was in city schools. And you are invited ONLY in the 6th grade for starting in the 7th.

You need to do more research on several interlocking factors:

Your child's abilities and interests (and realize that this is the NYC school system - with more than a million kids - so there is a LOT of competition for better schools)

Where you will be working (you 'll want to iive within a reasonable commute to both your job and his school)

How the NYC transit system works (some places in the outer boroughs are more than 1.5 hours into the city)

Based on some of the things that you said you might be better off in the suburbs - where kids go to schools in their own district and when you buy/rent there you know what school they will go to.

There are some MAJOR medical centers - and great schools - on LI - and housing costs are much lower than Manhattan.

denisem

Have you been to NYC?

How well do you know the NY hopsitals?

denisern, some hospitals offer housing for nurses. New York Presbyterian has a new building for employees: http://www.1330firstavenue.com/

My husband did his residency and research at NYP when it was still The New York Hospital. We lived in one of the hospital-owned buildings at below market rent. A good friend of mine was a nurse, and she lived in one of the hospital buildings until her children were out of h.s. and her husband wanted to move out of the city.

I agree that you should find and secure a job first. Housing availability and assistance are an important part of the job package. Good luck!

IF you are interested in having your son take the Specialized High School exam, you better do it quickly, as they will have one last testing for new students soon, since the end of the summer is nigh. There are now 8 specialized high schools (wow, things sure have changed! Who is whose rival now?).

Anyway, am agreeing with those who say that you need to find a job first before you figure out where you want to live.

Good luck!

My head is spinning!! I knew it would be a challange to find a good high school, but never imagined it would be this tough! I am going to seriously rethink the entire idea..I do think that the idea of the suburbs and having a zoned high school may be the way to go. My son going to a good high school is more important than my job..I can get a job anywhere.

kswl..thanks for the link regarding New York Hospital. I will contact them and check out the housing.

You guys have been SO helpful. We will be coming to the city in the fall and hopefully I will have narrowed down the options. As much we want to make this move, the little voice in the back of my head is saying finish high school in Raleigh and then move to the city.

Thanks again everyone!!

Anyone have any info on home schooling in NYC?

ok denise - I know these are huge decisions, but I'm going to play devil's advocate. You said that your son wants to live in a big city. Do you think that a suburb (where many kids know each other forever) will make him happy? Coming into a new HS in 10th grade isn't easy, but in NY many of the kids are fairly new friends. Where would he be happiest socially? When my boys were little, they wished we lived in a house with a backyard, but when they got a bit older, they loved what the city offered and the ease of travel (not needing a parent to drive them everywhere). Look at all the parameters before you decide what is best for you and your son.

And as far as home schooling - people do it, but again, socially, how would that be for your son? You'll want him to connect with other good kids.

I know you have enough to think about, but having grown up in Queens, I'd recommend looking into suburbs like Nassau or Westchester County County. That way you're within an hour of "the city" but not living right in it.

denise, there are lots of colleges in New York. If you decide to wait until your son finishes high school he could start college there. If he is interested in taking a gap year and working on something interesting in NYC---either as a volunteer or for pay---you could establish residency and he would then qualify for in-state tuition.

Home schooling is not for the faint of heart, and ideally it should be a decision made only to provide the best possible education and circumstances for a particular student. I home schooled our third child during middle school, and it takes a tremendous amount of time and energy. You may want to check into NY state's requirements for homeschoolers, as they may be more stringent than other states. (I live in GA and our rules are, sadly, <i>too</i> lax.) If this is something you've discussed before and both want to do that's a bit different than homeschooling to make a move more convenient. I don't mean that to sound rude, truly, but knowing how much time it takes, how overwhelming a new job and a move like that would already be---it makes <i>me</i> tired just to think of you adding one more thing on top of it...you do sound like you have lots of energy, though!

One more thing to keep in mind (and this is coming from a Manhattan parent of a 14 year old boy, who has just gone through the HS admissions process) . . you've said your son is athletic - NYC schools are not known for their strong athletic programs, except for basketball and track. Most schools have limited facilities and space - there are exceptions of course. But it's just not the place for high-end sports training through the public schools.

You have gotten great advice from many posters, and www.insideschools.org is the best resource for public schools. There are also a book on city schools, NYC guide to the Best Public High Schools, by Clara Hemphill
and here is the NYC gov site that is very informative:
http://www.nyc.gov/

But if your son is particularly math or science oriented, some of the Specialized Science High Schools do allow some entry in 10th grade - but please be aware this is highly competitive, thru a tough exam only - and the acceptance percentage is lower than Harvard's.

Wow, even with now 8 specialized high schools, the schools still have a lower acceptance rate than Harvard?

Are you trying to tell me we were a bunch of geniuses? :D

no, there are just so many kids taking the test - almost 23,000 this year . . . for 750 spots at Stuy

The specialized HS admissions test is open to anyone who wishes to take it and that is why thousands take it; it is worth a try. Anyone can apply to Harvard too, but by the time you're a HS senior, you're not apt to apply unless your a strong candidate and your counselor will strongly discourage those who are not.

Sigh...so much for that thought.

Unlike many other state NY does not encourage home schooling. There are quite stringent requirements to do it - and you need to demonstate how you will cover the rquired curriculum.

Also - with home schooling there can be issues in terms of college admissions unless the student's SATs are very srong.