At a Glance
Staten Island's marquee screened high school — massive, specialized, and remarkably calm
Best suited for
Staten Island families — particularly those from the more affluent hill neighborhoods — who want a screened, college-prep high school with specialized academies and a calm culture, and who can navigate the audition process and a car-based commute. Less ideal for families seeking a walkable neighborhood school or a smaller, less competitive 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
- Zero suspensions at a school of 3,200+ students — exceptionally orderly environment
- Audition-based admissions feeding into specialized academies with single-digit acceptance rates (Academy of Finance 2.5%, Law & Politics Institute 2.7%)
- A perfect 100/100 program richness score — 40+ extracurriculars including Air Force JROTC, Mock Trial, Moot Court, Robotics, and Horticulture
- Air Force JROTC program — uncommon in NYC public high schools
- Eight distinct audition tracks, from Music and Dance to Visual Arts and Theater, giving creative applicants multiple on-ramps
Things to consider
- Sheer size — 3,224 students means your child's experience will depend heavily on their academy, advisement, and which teachers they land with
- Teacher-principal trust at 74% is a yellow flag worth asking about; instruction quality ratings from teachers (89%) trail the district average of 93%
- No subway access within a 20-minute walk makes this a driving or bus-dependent school — logistics matter
- Audition required: families should plan for the application process and have a backup option
- PTA fundraising at just $2 per student is dramatically below the district average of $141 — parent-organized enrichment may be thinner here
- Parent survey response rate of 37% is modest, so the satisfaction numbers reflect a self-selecting subset of engaged families
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 31
Wagner is District 31's preeminent screened high school — the peer schools listed in the data are all elementary feeders, which underscores how singular Wagner is at the secondary level. Within Staten Island's public high school landscape, it functions as the borough's college-prep anchor, drawing applicants from across the island regardless of zoned elementary school.
Academics
School-level proficiency data wasn't provided in this dataset, so direct comparisons to the 61% district averages in ELA and math aren't possible here. What the data does show is a robust academic architecture: AP courses, a Science Research program, Coding and Robotics, a Federal Reserve Challenge, Mock Trial, and Moot Court. The Scholars' Academy — Wagner's most competitive program with a 5.3% offer rate — signals strong college-prep orientation. With 21% of students classified as IEP and ELL support offered, there's room for a wide range of learners within the screened model.
Culture
Wagner's culture stands out for two reasons: zero reported suspensions is genuinely rare in a school this size, and parent satisfaction (94%) and parent-principal trust (95%) are both strong. Teachers, however, tell a more complicated story — teacher-principal trust sits at 74%, noticeably below the 80% collegial trust among staff, and teacher-rated instruction quality (89%) trails the district average of 93%. Families feel heard; the leadership team's relationship with its own faculty may need attention.
Community
Wagner is a genuinely diverse place by Staten Island standards: roughly 40% White, 31% Hispanic, 18% Asian, and 10% Black, with a 75% diversity index that's high for a borough often perceived as monolithic. About 21% of students have IEPs and the economic need index (52.5) sits near the middle, suggesting a student body that mixes neighborhood affluence with broader borough demographics. The school's audition-based admissions shape this mix — families have to be invested enough to apply.
Neighborhood
The Todt Hill-Emerson Hill-Lighthouse Hill-Manor Heights area is one of Staten Island's more affluent enclaves, with a median household income around $107,000 and homeownership at nearly 75% — far above city norms. Roughly 28% of households have children, and over 42% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median home values above $800,000 signal a stable, rooted community. The 12.3% poverty rate is relatively low, though it confirms this isn't a uniformly wealthy pocket of the borough.
There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of Wagner, so families rely on cars, school buses, or express bus service to get here. This is a car-dependent commute for almost everyone.
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 991 families responded (37% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
This program connects high school students with the world of financial services and personal finance, offering a curriculum that covers banking and credit, financial planning, global finance, securities, insurance, accounting, and economics. This varied content gives our students an education that is both current and in-line with industry standards. Students are able to supplement their knowledge with a host of work-based learning opportunities, including paid internships their junior year.
This program aims to educate and train high school cadets in citizenship, promote community service, instill responsibility, character, and self-discipline, and provide instruction in air and space fundamentals, leadership, and wellness. The program is grounded in the Air Force core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.
This program provides students with a four year sequence that engages them in coursework that is focused on how our society is shaped by the laws that govern it.
This program provides students of outstanding ability and potential with an enriched program that emphasizes inquiry, critical thinking, and research skills.
As the specially selected "Chancellor's Arts Designated High School" for Staten Island, music students are eligible to receive a special Chancellor's Endorsed Arts Diploma. The following courses are offered within the Music sequence: Wind Ensemble, Symphonic, Concert, Prelude, Beginning, Jazz, Marching Bands, Advanced, Intermediate, Beginning Guitar Ensembles, Concert, Mixed, Intermediate Chorus, and Composition. Students will perform in multiple concerts, festivals, and events each year.
As the specially selected "Chancellor's Arts Designated High School" for Staten Island, visual arts students are eligible to receive a special Chancellor's Endorsed Arts Diploma. The Visual Arts program encourages students to reach their potential through the creation of original work. The following courses are offered within the Visual Arts sequence: Painting, Portfolio, Advanced Drawing, Beginning Drawing, Graphic Design, Digital Photography, Basic Art, and Art History.
As the specially selected "Chancellor's Arts Designated High School" for Staten Island, theater students are eligible to receive a special Chancellor's Endorsed Arts Diploma. The following courses are offered within the Theater sequence: Basic Acting, Advanced Acting, Musical Theater, Directing, Playwriting, and Theater Production. Student performance opportunities include: the Spring Musical, Show Choir, Winter Musical, Spooktacular, SING, Original Works by New Writers, and more.
As the specially selected 'Chancellor's Arts Designated High School' for Staten Island, dance students are eligible to receive a special Chancellor's Endorsed Arts Diploma. The dance program is a comprehensive course of study that includes training in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Horton Technique, and Limon Technique.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
PTA Fundraising
Source: DOE Local Law 171 disclosure
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. Susan E. Wagner High School admits through 9 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Academy of FinanceScreened
- Air Force Junior Reserve Officers' Training CorpsEd. Opt.
- DanceAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required
- Law & Politics InstituteScreened
- MusicAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required
- Scholars' AcademyScreened
- TheaterAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required
- Visual ArtsAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required
- 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.
- 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.
- 5Zoned programs give priority to students who live in the zone — a priority, not a guaranteed seat.
- 6Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
High School Information Night
Tue, Nov 10, · 6:00 PM · In person
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Susan E. Wagner High School a good school?
- On Motley, Susan E. Wagner High School earns an overall rating of 74/100 — 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 Susan E. Wagner High School serve?
- Susan E. Wagner High School serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into Susan E. Wagner High School?
- Susan E. Wagner High School admits by audition — applicants are judged on a performance, portfolio, or talent area.
- Is Susan E. Wagner High School public, charter, or private?
- Susan E. Wagner High School is a public school in NYC Community School District 31.
- What neighborhood is Susan E. Wagner High School in?
- Susan E. Wagner High School is in Todt Hill-Emerson Hill-Lighthouse Hill-Manor Heights, Staten Island.