At a Glance
A large, screened Brooklyn high school organized around six career academies, where families compete aggressively for seats and the student body mirrors the city's diversity almost to a tee.
Best suited for
Teens who want a large, diverse screened high school with a clearly defined career focus — especially those eyeing Pre-Med, STEM, Law, or Fine Arts — and families willing to navigate a competitive academy admissions process.
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
- Six career-themed screened academies — Culinary Arts, Pre-Med, Law, STEM, Business, Fine Arts — each receiving three to ten times more applicants than seats
- Zero suspensions across 2,196 students, exceptional for a high school this size
- A student body (28% Asian, 28% Hispanic, 25% Black, 16% White) that closely mirrors NYC's overall diversity
- Chinese Transitional Bilingual Program running alongside Mandarin and Spanish world language tracks
- Program richness score of 100/100, with offerings spanning every category from robotics to rock band to Model Congress
Things to consider
- At 2,196 students across six academies, this is a large school — your teen should be comfortable navigating big-campus life
- Teacher instruction quality (87%) sits about five points below the district average of 92.6%, worth probing at a tour
- Admissions are screened, not zoned — families must apply, rank academies, and accept that some programs offer fewer than 12% of applicants a seat
- The family survey response rate was only 25%, so parent satisfaction numbers may over-represent one segment of families
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 21
District 21 spans a wide academic range — from charter and screened-gifted schools scoring in the mid-90s down to neighborhood schools in the high-70s. John Dewey sits as the district's large, screened, career-pathway high school: not a top-scoring peer to the gifted programs, but a notably bigger and more program-rich option than the district's standalone neighborhood schools.
Academics
Specific proficiency numbers aren't included in the available data, but the academic architecture speaks for itself: six screened academies where offer rates run as low as 10% (Pre-Med, STEM, Law), AP coursework available across disciplines, and a Chinese Transitional Bilingual program that admits about half its applicants. Class size sits right at the district average of roughly 25, and 16% of students have IEPs — meaning supports are part of the everyday picture. The competitive intake alone signals that families and counselors rate the academic program highly.
Culture
Zero suspensions in a school of 2,196 is the most striking climate signal here — the district average runs about 0.5% — telling you this is not a punitive environment. Parent satisfaction lands at 92%, matching the district, and parent trust in teachers (95%) and in the principal (94%) is very strong. Teacher-reported instruction quality at 87% is roughly five points below the district average of 92.6%, a gap worth asking about. The family survey response rate was 25% across 542 responses, moderate for a school this large.
Community
The student body at John Dewey is one of the most balanced in the city: roughly 28% Asian, 28% Hispanic, 25% Black, and 16% White, with a diversity index of 79%. The economic need index of 80 indicates a majority of students come from households with significant financial need, which tracks with surrounding Gravesend's 20.7% poverty rate and ~$58K median income. Because only 17.9% of neighborhood households include children, the school's population must draw well beyond its immediate blocks to reach 2,196 students.
Neighborhood
Gravesend (South) is a Brooklyn neighborhood with a median household income near $58,200 and a 20.7% poverty rate. Only 17.9% of households include children, so most blocks around the school are adult-only or family-light. About 35% of adult residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and homeownership sits at just over 37%, reflecting a mix of long-term homeowners and renters.
The D train at Bay 50 St is about a 3-minute walk from the building, and the F at Avenue X is roughly 9 minutes on foot — the subway commute here is unusually easy for a Brooklyn high school.
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 542 families responded (25% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
The Academy of Business Management and Culinary Arts focuses on preparing students with the technical skills they need to apply to future careers and everyday situations.We offer paid and unpaid internships, job shadowing, mentoring and partnerships through the National Academy of Finance and Careers through Culinary Programs.
This program will strengthen their home language as they continue to improve their academic English skills. Social studies and science courses are taught using both Chinese and English, and students take Chinese as a Native Language courses in addition to their English as a New Language classes. Please Note this is a General Education Bilingual Program for ELL students.
The STEM Academy provides students with a rigorous college preparatory curriculum with opportunities to explore the disciplines of computer science, engineering, and robotics and to take AP and college level courses. Courses will prepare students for colleges, career paths, and more. With significant opportunities for hands-on learning, students will gain fluency with the design process. All applicants are interviewed; information available at STEM@johndeweyhighschool.org
The Pre-Med Academy equips students with knowledge and competencies that allow them to excel in college pre-med and health professional programs. Students experience an immersive clinical internship, study anatomy, medical technology, medical ethics, and take AP and college-level courses. Students graduate with certifications in CPR, first aid, and others accredited by the American Red Cross. All applicants are interviewed; information available at premed@johndeweyhighschool.org
This is an opportunity for students interested in law and exploring the struggle for justice and human rights. Program electives focus on the criminal justice system. Through our affiliation with the Justice Resource Center and Facing History & Ourselves, students visit criminal and juvenile court, work with lawyers and politicians, and participate in moot court, mock trial, and Model UN competitions. Students will also have the opportunity to apply to a variety of law related internships.
Students will experience a unique journey in Visual, Theater, or Dance Arts. Students will be introduced to learning the basics of each field and advance by learning new techniques and skills in their focus area culminating in an Endorsed Diploma. Theater Arts students will participate in acting, scene study, and play writing. Dance will include traditional and modern dance, jazz, interpretive dance, and choreography. Visual Arts classes include studio art, ceramics, and photography.
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. John Dewey High School admits through 8 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Bilingual Chinese (Mandarin) College Preparatory ProgramScreened45 seats
- College Preparatory International ProgramEd. Opt.68 seats
- Computer Science InstituteScreened68 seats
- Health Careers Exploration ProgramEd. Opt.68 seats
- Pre-Med and Health CareersScreened100 seats
- STEM – Robotics/Space ScienceEd. Opt.68 seats
- Theatre Arts and DanceEd. Opt.68 seats
- Visual and Media ArtsEd. Opt.68 seats
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.
- 3Educational Option programs fill in equal shares across three reading levels, half by the school's ranking and half by lottery.
- 4Rank 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 John Dewey High School a good school?
- On Motley, John Dewey High School earns an overall rating of 57/100 — 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 John Dewey High School serve?
- John Dewey High School serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into John Dewey High School?
- John Dewey High School is a screened school — it admits by application, ranking applicants on their course grades (4th grade for middle school, the 7th-grade core-course average for high school); a few schools add an assessment, writing sample, or interview.
- Is John Dewey High School public, charter, or private?
- John Dewey High School is a public school in NYC Community School District 21.
- What neighborhood is John Dewey High School in?
- John Dewey High School is in Gravesend (South), Brooklyn.