High School for Media and Communications
Grades: 9-12Our Insights
What’s Special
Swimming; film and journalism
The Downside
Academics have a ways to go
High School for Media and Communications is a small school located in the majestic George Washington Educational Campus. Students can choose between two programs: Film and Television Production or Publication and Design Academy. More than half of the students speak a language other than English, and many are new to the country. While the school faces challenges with attendance and classroom participation it’s showing signs of progress.
Academics & Instruction: Teachers are focused on helping students read, write, and talk more in class. Staff meet in small “learning pods” to plan lessons, check progress, and share good ideas. Each class has a learning guide, with clearly stated goals, and a schedule of lessons so students and families know what to expect. About half the students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate.
Themes & Programs: Film and Television Production offers teens a chance to make videos and commercials. Publication and Design students study journalism and creative writing for publication in the school magazine. The school has a partnership with Simon and Schuster publishers to bring in speakers and events about writing, books, and storytelling. Their editors’ also review college essays.
Culture & Environment: The school emphasizes civic knowledge and participation. Students study community and government and pitch in to make the school more welcoming for immigrant families. The school also works with Catholic Charities to plan events that celebrate different cultures and identities.
Special Education & English as a New Language: About half of the students are learning English. Teachers get training on how to help multilingual students improve faster, and how to balance English learning with strong academic instruction. They are adding more support for new students so they can adjust faster and feel included, according to the yearly plan.
Building & Facilities: Four other schools share the building: The College Academy, The Equity Project Elementary Charter School, High School for Law and Public Service, and High School for Health Careers and Sciences. Sports are campus-wide and include swimming lessons in an Olympic-sized pool.
College & Career: Catholic Charities provides workshops on how to help students complete financial aid and college applications. (Lydie Raschka, official reports, November 2025)
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School Stats
Academics
Students
Race/Ethnicity
Safety & Vibe
Faculty & Staff
Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity
College and Career Readiness
Programs & Admissions
From the 2024 High School DirectoryFilm and Television Production (M30A)
Program Description:
This program utilizes our state-of-the-art recording studio and exposes students to course work in Visual Storytelling, Advanced Broadcast Production, and Introduction to Post Production. Students create public service announcements, mini-documentaries, commercials and short films. Students are required to create a short silent film with Film at Lincoln Center and complete a certification program at Manhattan Neighborhood Network.
Publication and Design Academy (M30B)
Program Description:
This program exposes students to a variety of writing experiences through courses in journalism, creative writing and screenwriting. Students choose the genre of their interest and will have their pieces published in the school newspaper, Rise, Babel in the Heights, yearbook, and the school magazine of fiction and non-fiction. Students have opportunities to collaborate with and/or intern at publishing companies, including Simon & Schuster.
Offerings
From the 2024 High School DirectoryLanguage Courses
Spanish
Advanced Courses
Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Biology, AP English Language and Composition, AP Psychology, AP Spanish Language and Culture, AP United States Government and Politics, AP United States History, ELA (College Course [Uncredited]), Math (College Course [Uncredited]), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)
Boys PSAL teams
Baseball, Basketball, Football, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Swimming
Girls PSAL teams
Basketball, Flag Football, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Volleyball
Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools
Contact & Location
Location
549 Audubon Avenue
Manhattan
NY
10040
Trains:
to 191st St;
to 190th St
Buses: Bx18, Bx40, Bx42, Bx7, BxM1, M100, M101, M3, M4, M98
Contact
Other Details
This school shares the George Washington Educational Campus with four other schools
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