High school admissions were turned upside down in New York City this year.
The pandemic forced major changes in the admissions process and meant families faced delays and uncertainties. Under-resourced middle schools, still struggling with online learning, were often unable to help students.
That’s where BEAM stepped in, to fill the gaps and provide the support students and their families needed to successfully navigate the process.
BEAM 8th graders, with our help, earned admission at great high schools this spring!
Results to date:*
86% of BEAM 8th graders earned spots at high schools BEAM rates at Trusted+. These are schools we think have good course offerings and support.
54% of BEAM 8th graders earned spots at high schools BEAM rates as Tier 1. Tier 1 high schools offer Advanced Placement calculus or its equivalent (like the opportunity to take a college-level math course), and more than 85% of graduates are prepared for college. BEAM counts only about 40 high schools citywide, or about 7% of New York City high schools, as Tier 1; all are highly selective for admissions.
12 BEAM students were admitted to Specialized High Schools, including Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech, and Bronx Science.
In New York City, what high school you attend determines a lot about what opportunities you’ll have in the future. So, we know it’s important to find a strong, good-fit high school. Given all the uncertainties right now, finding a strong school was even more vital this year.
BEAM provides individualized support to our students and their families throughout the admissions process. This year, we also built an online high school admissions portal to connect students and their families to even more resources.
Here’s what Brandon C. said about his admissions experience:
“The high school admissions process was smooth for me. BEAM made this possible. They were able to give me a list of top schools that fit my interests. From there I looked through the schools and made a list and then ranked them based on what they offered and what I liked. My first choice was Bard High School Early College. They required me to do essays on humanities and STEM [to apply]. Elyse [BEAM’s Enrichment Coordinator] was very helpful in this process. She helped me review my essays and gave me feedback on what to change and what to add. I am very pleased to say that I got into my first choice. I am very grateful for BEAM’s support. I felt very happy and delighted when I got my results. When applying I was very nervous but at the same time felt confident because BEAM helped me in the process.
”
Brandon is looking forward to attending Bard High School Early College Queens in the fall, where he hopes to play on the basketball team.
Way to go BEAM 8th graders! We’re incredibly proud of you. <3
Want to learn more? Check out this article in Chalkbeat featuring BEAM 8th grader Nevaeha Giscombe, and BEAM’s own Elyse Mitchell.
Here’s a complete list of high schools admissions for BEAM students to date:*
A. Philip Randolph Campus High School (2)
Academy of Software Engineering
Academy of American Studies (2)
Art and Design High School
Aviation Career & Technical Education High School
Bard High School Early College (7)
The Beacon School (2)
Bedford Academy High School
Benjamin Banneker Academy
Benjamin N. Cardozo High School
Bronx Early College Academy
Brooklyn Secondary School for Collaborative Studies
Central Park East High School (4)
Civic Leadership Academy
Coney Island Prep
East Side Community High School (2)
Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Energy Tech High School
Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School
Francis Lewis High School
Frederick Douglas Academy
Frederick Douglass Academy VI High School
High School of Economics and Finance (2)
Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Science
Leaders High School
Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics (6)
Midwood High School (5)
Millennium Brooklyn High School (2)
Millennium High School
Morris Academy for Collaborative Studies
NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies
NYC Museum School
Park East High School (3)
Pathways in Technology Early College High School
Science, Technology and Research Early College High School
Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change
Townsend Harris High School (3)
University Heights High School (7)
The Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice
Urban Assembly Maker Academy
Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School
Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design
Young Women's Leadership School of Brooklyn
BEAM students also received admissions offers from the following Specialized High Schools:
Bronx High School of Science
Brooklyn Latin
Brooklyn Technical High School (4)
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College
High School of American Studies at Lehman College (2)
Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
Stuyvesant
Students admitted to Specialized High Schools will choose between these schools and other admissions offers they received.
We are incredibly proud of our students!
Ange was admitted to Beacon High School.
Brandon was admitted to Brooklyn Technical High School.
Estefani was admitted to Midwood High School.
Mansour was admitted to Bard High School Early College.
Yeshua was admitted to Central Park East High School.
Precious was admitted to Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics.
Yasong was admitted to Townsend Harris High School.
*We say to date because every year a few BEAM students are under-matched in this process. We are currently working with students who were not admitted to high schools that meet our standards to make sure that they can navigate the appeals process and find a good fit for the next four years.