At a Glance
A sprawling Staten Island high school that runs like seven schools in one — and somehow keeps the trust numbers sky-high.
Best suited for
Families who want their teen to land in a specific career-adjacent pathway — culinary, medical technology, business, JROTC, or the arts — and who appreciate having those options bundled with traditional academics at one campus. Works especially well for motivated students from working-class Staten Island households who want AP classes, real extracurriculars, and a diploma that opens doors without a private school price tag.
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
- Seven distinct screened programs under one roof, including Culinary Arts, Medical Technology, JROTC, and an Academy of the Arts
- Zero suspensions across the entire school — exceptional for a school of this size
- Program richness score of 100/100, with 21 varsity sports, AP coursework, robotics, and JROTC
- A working in-house TV production called 'Good Morning Port Richmond' — a daily live show students run themselves
- Industry-aligned pathways (Culinary, Medical Technology, Business/Hospitality) that lead somewhere concrete after graduation
Things to consider
- School size of 1,634 means your child may need to actively carve out their social circle rather than find one naturally
- Screened admissions: students apply into a specific program, so the fit depends heavily on placement
- 32% IEP enrollment means heavier classroom complexity — worth asking about resource allocation during a visit
- No subway access — commuting from other boroughs or even across Staten Island requires planning
- High economic need index means this school serves students facing real financial stress, which can affect things like college access support and extracurricular equity
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 31
Port Richmond is one of Staten Island's flagship public high schools — the peer schools shown in the data are all elementary schools, reflecting how the school draws students from across the district rather than competing with neighborhood peers at the high school level. It functions as a borough-wide option for families who want specialized programming without leaving Staten Island or paying private school tuition.
Academics
No state proficiency figures are available for this profile, but the academic signal is loud elsewhere: seven screened programs, AP coursework, and a STEM track (robotics included) share space with humanities, business, and medical technology pathways. Admissions demand tells the story — 297 students applied for 94 Culinary seats, 230 for 52 Medical Technology slots, and the Academy of the Arts was the most selective program of all, with only 12.5% of applicants receiving offers. For a school of this size, that level of choice is closer to a college campus than a typical large high school.
Culture
The climate numbers here are striking for a school of 1,634 students. Zero suspensions is genuinely rare and signals either strong restorative practices, careful admissions through screened programs, or both. Parent trust metrics are uniformly excellent — 96% parent-teacher trust, 98% parent-principal trust, 96% teacher instruction quality, 97% teacher-principal trust — which is the kind of consistency you almost never see in survey data, where usually one or two dimensions sag. Day-to-day, this reads as a place where adults are aligned and families feel heard.
Community
This is a working-class, majority-Hispanic student body — 51% Hispanic, 24% Black, 15% White, 7% Asian — that mirrors the surrounding Port Richmond neighborhood more than some Staten Island schools do. The economic need index of 77.6% is high, meaning roughly three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch or live in households under considerable financial strain. With 32% of students identified as IEP, this is also a school carrying a heavier-than-average share of students with disabilities, which has implications for resources and class composition.
Neighborhood
Port Richmond sits on Staten Island's North Shore, a working- and middle-class stretch where the median household income is around $74,560, the poverty rate runs about 21.6%, and roughly half of residents own their homes (median value near $486,000). Only 17.7% of households here have children, which is moderate for the city — families are present but not the dominant household type. It's the kind of place where neighbors know each other and the school is the anchor institution.
There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school, so families here rely on the Staten Island bus network, school buses, or driving. A drop-off plan is worth thinking through, especially given the screened-admissions travel patterns from across the borough.
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 738 families responded (46% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
A competitive honors program that prepares students for college study in applied mathematics, sciences, and related professions. Students complete college-level courses in science and research opportunities, internships, and SAT/ACT prep.
Prepares students for career opportunities in the hospitality and food services industry. We partner with C-CAP (Careers Through Culinary Arts) and Pro-Start (NYS Restaurant Association Curriculum). Students leave our program with a Food Handlers License. Work-Based Learning opportunities include job shadowing, paid internships and working in our student run cafe.
JROTC provides students with the tools, training, and experiences required for today's leadership roles. Drill courses provide the opportunity for students to participate in the National Drill Competition.
A challenging program that immerses students in a CTE instructional model preparing them for business, economics, finance, and career education through the Virtual Enterprise Program and the Hospitality and Tourism Program.
The Academy of the Arts nurtures creatively talented students. Students have the opportunity to experience classes in Media Arts and the Performing Arts. Classes include: Leveled band classes, Jazz band, Marching band, Chorus, Guitar, Orchestra, Theater, Radio and Television. Partnerships include Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Staten Island Community Television, Roundabout Theatre Company and Exploring The Arts.
Medical Technology introduces students to the multitude of occupations and careers available in the medical and health professions; the hands-on program prepares students for college-level courses through lab experience and internships.
A competitive honors program that prepares students for college study in the humanities. Students complete college-level courses in the humanities.Through the YMCA of Greater New York, students are provided enrichment in college access and career development and SAT/ACT Prep. Students enjoy a free membership to the YMCA.
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. Port Richmond High School admits through 8 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Collegiate Academy Honors ProgramScreened34 seats
- Culinary ArtsEd. Opt.
- Institute of Business Technology, Hospitality & EntrepreneurshipEd. Opt.
- Junior Reserve Officers' Training CorpsEd. Opt.
- Medical TechnologyEd. Opt.
- The Academy of Television, Visual and Performing ArtsEd. Opt.34 seats
- The Gateway Scholars ProgramScreened68 seats
- ZonedZoned
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.
- 4Zoned programs give priority to students who live in the zone — a priority, not a guaranteed seat.
- 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 Port Richmond High School a good school?
- On Motley, Port Richmond 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 Port Richmond High School serve?
- Port Richmond High School serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into Port Richmond High School?
- Port Richmond 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 Port Richmond High School public, charter, or private?
- Port Richmond High School is a public school in NYC Community School District 31.
- What neighborhood is Port Richmond High School in?
- Port Richmond High School is in Port Richmond, Staten Island.