At a Glance
A small climate-justice-themed high school whose students look very different from the wealthy blocks surrounding it
Best suited for
Families who prioritize a small, theme-driven school community and who want a restorative approach and engaged teachers over high test scores — particularly those whose student is genuinely drawn to climate-justice work and isn't fazed by a longer commute.
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
- Climate-justice theme is woven into the school's identity and programming, which is unusual among NYC public high schools.
- 100/100 program-richness score means an unusually dense menu of clubs and electives — including Girls Who Code, Model UN, Step, GSA, and Young Women's Empowerment Experience — for a school of just 332 students.
- Zero suspensions combined with 95-97% teacher trust signals a strongly restorative, community-oriented climate.
- Family survey response rate of 41% suggests unusually engaged parents compared with most NYC public schools.
- The student body comes from across the city rather than the surrounding blocks, making the school a deliberate choice for families who want a specific educational philosophy.
Things to consider
- Proficiency scores trail District 2 by roughly 50 percentage points in both ELA and math — the gap is real and worth weighing carefully against the school's other strengths.
- Chronic absenteeism at 53.7% is roughly the inverse of the district's 92% attendance average and will likely shape any student's day-to-day experience here.
- Total enrollment of 332 means fewer course sections, smaller electives pools, and potentially fewer AP offerings than larger Manhattan high schools.
- Most students commute into the neighborhood from other parts of the city, so families choosing this school should plan for transportation time rather than assuming a short walk.
- The school's academic data may reflect an earlier configuration, so 9-12 outcomes have less of a track record to lean on than the headline numbers suggest.
Based on 2023-24 data
School SummaryDistrict 2
In District 2 — one of Manhattan's highest-performing districts and home to schools like P.S. 77 and P.S. 290 that score in the 94-99 range — this school sits far below the district average of 2.91/4, with an overall score of 0.75/4. There is no getting around the fact that this is an outlier on academic outcomes within a very affluent, high-achieving district.
Academics
ELA proficiency of 24% and math proficiency of 13.7% trail the District 2 averages (73% and 73%) by a wide margin — this is well outside the normal range for a District 2 school. Science proficiency of 25% likewise sits far below what most peer schools produce. Historically, the school has trended upward from a very low base (ELA moved from about 7% in 2016 to 24% by 2018; math from 5% to 14%), which counts as real improvement but still leaves a substantial gap. The available scores reflect middle-grade testing that may predate the current high school configuration, so day-to-day academic outcomes for 9-12 students aren't fully captured in this dataset.
Culture
Trust numbers are the strongest signal here: 94% parent satisfaction and 94% parent-principal trust — both above the 92% district average — and teacher instruction quality at 97% versus an 89% district average. That combination of strong family and staff trust is rare for a school with this academic profile. However, chronic absenteeism at 53.7% is significant — essentially every other student is missing enough school to count as chronically absent, and that's a real obstacle to day-to-day learning. The school recorded zero suspensions, which points to a restorative and supportive discipline posture rather than a punitive one.
Community
The student body is 58% Hispanic, 23% Black, 10% Asian, and 7% White, with an economic need index of 87.9% and 27% of students with IEPs — a student body that doesn't mirror the surrounding neighborhood census at all. The Upper East Side-Yorkville area surrounding the school is roughly the opposite profile demographically: high-income, predominantly White, only 12.7% of households have children, and the poverty rate hovers under 8%. What's clear is that most students travel in from elsewhere in the city to attend, making this school more of an anchor than a neighborhood school.
Neighborhood
The neighborhood around the school, Upper East Side-Yorkville, is one of Manhattan's most affluent enclaves: roughly $137,000 median household income, about 7.8% poverty, 76.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher, and a median home value close to $1.19 million. About 29% of households own their homes, and only 12.7% include children, which gives the blocks a quieter, older-resident feel. Three subway lines serve the area immediately around the school, so getting here from any borough is straightforward.
Three options: 96 St on the Q line is roughly a 2-minute walk, 96 St on the 6 is about 7 minutes, and 103 St on the 6 is about 11 minutes.
Academic Performance
ELA Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State ELA exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Math Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Math exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Science Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Science exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Historical Trends
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 146 families responded (41% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
Focus on Life Sciences with science electives, internships, mentoring, and research opportunities.
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. The High School for Climate Justice admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Life Sciences for New StudentsEd. Opt.135 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.
- 2Educational Option programs fill in equal shares across three reading levels, half by the school's ranking and half by lottery.
- 3Rank 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 The High School for Climate Justice a good school?
- On Motley, The High School for Climate Justice earns an overall rating of 49/100 — 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 The High School for Climate Justice serve?
- The High School for Climate Justice serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into The High School for Climate Justice?
- The High School for Climate Justice uses the Educational Option (Ed-Opt) method, ranking applicants across performance levels so seats go to a mix of abilities.
- Is The High School for Climate Justice public, charter, or private?
- The High School for Climate Justice is a public school in NYC Community School District 2.
- What neighborhood is The High School for Climate Justice in?
- The High School for Climate Justice is in Upper East Side-Yorkville, Manhattan.