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Our Insights

What’s Special

Winning debate team; strong college advisory

The Downside

Strict discipline may not appeal to all

Part of the Achievement First network of charter schools that spans across several states, Achievement First Brooklyn High School (AF Brooklyn) does a good job of keeping students on track for college. It serves mainly students who attend an Achievement First middle school, with few seats open for students applying from outside the network.

Students take four years of literature, composition, history, math and science. All students also take at least one Advanced Placement (AP) class in their time in high school, but many take more than that. In addition to AP courses, students take a college readiness class all four years, which includes SAT prep in 11th grade and leadership training in 12th grade. The school also offers interesting electives such as photography, Latin, dance, and film.

AF Brooklyn fields a strong speech and debate team that often sends students to compete at the state and national level. In a video featured on the speech and debate team’s website, students talk about what the team means for them, with one student saying, “It’s gotten me through family issues, personal issues, all kinds of issues, because speech and debate is a team and family for me.” Alumni of the team have gone on to attend elite colleges such as Yale, Harvard, Boston College, and Williams.

Other popular extracurricular activities include basketball, gay-straight alliance, natural hair club, and robotics.

Achievement First network is known for enforcing a strict discipline code. Some parents appreciate the sense of order and back-to-basics curriculum, but others complain that the network’s “no excuses” discipline is too harsh. Students who violate school rules may be suspended or expelled. Achievement First schools typically have much higher suspension rates than the citywide average.

AF Brooklyn’s school day runs two hours longer than at traditional public schools and students attend school for two weeks longer than the Department of Education school year. This can be helpful to working parents and children that could use extra classroom time.

Students get lots of support during the college admissions process, including trips to colleges and SAT prep. High school counselors continue to work closely with graduates once they are in college. (Isabel Corpus, web report, July 2018).

 

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School Stats

Academics

School
Citywide
How many students graduate in 4 years?
 
90%
Average daily attendance
 
91%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
31%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
95%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
84%
From the 2023-24 School Quality Guide and 2023-24 NYC School Survey

Students

1321
Number of students
Citywide Average is 608

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
89%
Students with disabilities
 
18%
Multilingual learners
 
2%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
80%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
58%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
41%
From the 2023-24 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
10.0
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 8
How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
87%
From the 2023-24 NYC School Survey, 2023-24 School Quality Guide, 2021-22 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2023 Guidance Counselor Report, and this school's most recent Quality Review Report

College and Career Readiness

School
Citywide
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
43%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
70%
From the 2023-24 School Quality Guide
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Contact & Location

Location

1485 Pacific Street
Brooklyn NY 11216

Trains: C Line to Kingston-Throop Aves; A Line to Nostrand Ave

Buses: B15, B25, B43, B44, B44-SBS, B65


Contact

Principal: Claire Shin

Phone: 718-363-2260

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares a building with Uncommon Charter High School

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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