At a Glance
A audition-screened Brooklyn powerhouse where nearly 6,000 students compete for 780 seats — and zero suspensions tells you something about the culture.
Best suited for
A motivated student with a clear talent in writing, visual art, music, or bilingual communication who's ready for a large, demanding, specialized high school — and a family that values an arts-and-communications mission over a small-school environment.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of 4-year graduation, English Regents college-ready and Regents completion · DOE 2025 report
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Audition-based admissions with an 11% offer rate for Communication Arts — one of the most competitive public high school programs in Brooklyn.
- Zero suspensions recorded for the year, exceptional for a school of nearly 3,700 students.
- Dual-language Communication Arts tracks in both Mandarin and Spanish, rare in NYC public high schools.
- Six distinct audition programs spanning writing, visual art, vocal and instrumental music, and studio theater.
- Six world languages offered, including less-common options like Italian and Russian alongside the usual French, Spanish, and Mandarin.
Things to consider
- Audition required — admission is competitive, and the offer rate for Studio Theater and Fine Arts is under 9%.
- At nearly 3,700 students, Murrow is far larger than the typical NYC high school, which matters if your child thrives in smaller settings.
- Teacher trust in the principal (85%) and teacher-rated instruction quality (85%) both trail the district average meaningfully, even as parent trust is sky-high.
- The economic need index of 63.8 means a majority of students qualify as economically disadvantaged, even though the surrounding neighborhood is middle-class.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 21
District 21 in southern Brooklyn is home to some of the borough's strongest screened and charter programs, and Murrow stands as the district's flagship audition high school — a specialized option that draws from across Brooklyn rather than serving a purely zoned population. Among the district's highest-rated schools, it's the only large audition-based high school in the mix.
Academics
Murrow offers AP courses alongside dedicated tracks in math and science, plus dual-language Communication Arts programs in Mandarin and Spanish — a rare combination in Brooklyn. The school's extreme selectivity (offer rates between 8% and 14% across programs) signals a highly motivated student body. Without proficiency scores in hand, the strongest academic signals come from the program mix and the demand: families are choosing Murrow at extraordinary rates for a public school.
Culture
Zero suspensions at a school of nearly 3,700 students is genuinely remarkable — well below the district average of 0.5% — and speaks to either a remarkably disciplined student body or a restorative approach to behavior. Parents feel heard: 97% trust the principal and 95% trust teachers. The teacher picture is more nuanced — 90% collegial trust among staff is great, while 85% trust in the principal and 85% rating instruction quality sits notably below the district averages of 96.8% and 92.6%. Day-to-day, expect a school where families are enthusiastic partners and teachers collaborate well, but where some staff feel leadership could do more.
Community
Murrow's student body mirrors Midwood's diversity: roughly 30% White, 27% Asian, 20% Hispanic, 18% Black — a mix that earns an 81% diversity index. Eighteen percent of students have IEPs, and the economic need index of 63.8 means a majority come from lower-income households, a contrast to Midwood's median income of $70,680 and 49% bachelor-degree rate. The result is a school where neighborhood middle-class families sit alongside students traveling in from across Brooklyn for the audition programs.
Neighborhood
Midwood is a comfortably middle-class Brooklyn neighborhood where homeownership sits at 32% and the median home value is around $920,000 — solidly in the borough's middle tier. About a quarter of households include children, and almost half of neighborhood adults hold a bachelor's degree, making this one of the more educated corners of southern Brooklyn. The Q line runs directly along Avenue M, putting the school in a quiet residential pocket rather than a commercial strip.
The Q train is genuinely convenient here — Avenue M is about a 3-minute walk, Avenue J about 8 minutes, and Avenue H about 14 minutes, all on the same line.
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 922 families responded (27% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
AP and research classes in all major curriculum areas in preparation for college and careers.
A two year comprehensive academic transitional bilingual program open to English language learners. Classes in two major content areas taught in Mandarin and English. This program emphasizes college and career readiness.
A two year comprehensive academic transitional bilingual program open to English language learners. Classes in two major content areas taught in Spanish and English. This program emphasizes college and career readiness.
A discipline-based music education that includes large ensemble, small ensemble, solo performance, and musicianship.
A discipline-based visual art education which includes studios in drawing, painting, sculpture, mixed media, animation, digital media, photography, fashion, art history, and portfolio development.
A discipline-based music education that includes large ensemble, small ensemble, solo performance, and musicianship.
A program that explores all the collaborative components of theater. Students learn all the aspects of theater including acting, technical theater, musical theater, and theater management.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
High school (9th grade)
High school is one citywide application, made in 8th grade. Edward R. Murrow High School admits through 7 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Bilingual Chinese (Mandarin) Communication ArtsScreened
- Bilingual Spanish Communication ArtsScreened
- Communication ArtsEd. Opt.
- Fine and Visual ArtsAuditionVirtual auditionAudition required
- Instrumental MusicAuditionVirtual auditionAudition required
- Studio TheaterAuditionVirtual auditionAudition required
- Vocal MusicAuditionVirtual auditionAudition required
High school application
- Opened
- Tue, Oct 6
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 4
- Offers
- Wed, Mar 3
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the high school application, in 8th grade.
- 2Screened programs rank the 7th-grade core-course average, so last year's final grades are the ones that count.
- 3Audition programs need a booked audition or portfolio on top of the application — book the slot through MySchools, and prepare what each studio asks for.
- 4Educational Option programs fill in equal shares across three reading levels, half by the school's ranking and half by lottery.
- 5Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Edward R. Murrow High School a good school?
- On Motley, Edward R. Murrow High School earns an overall rating of 66/100 — the average of the school's four-year graduation rate, the share of its students scoring college-ready (70+) on the English Regents, and its Regents completion rate, shown out of 100.
- What grades does Edward R. Murrow High School serve?
- Edward R. Murrow High School serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into Edward R. Murrow High School?
- Edward R. Murrow High School admits by audition — applicants are judged on a performance, portfolio, or talent area.
- Is Edward R. Murrow High School public, charter, or private?
- Edward R. Murrow High School is a public school in NYC Community School District 21.
- What neighborhood is Edward R. Murrow High School in?
- Edward R. Murrow High School is in Midwood, Brooklyn.