At a Glance
A tiny, career-pathway high school in East New York where every freshman applies to a specialized program — and where zero suspensions redefines what a calm school looks like.
Best suited for
A family that wants their teenager in a hands-on career pathway — nursing, design, or cosmetology — and prefers a small, structured school over a large comprehensive high school, especially if the C train at Liberty Avenue makes for an easy commute from anywhere on that line.
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
- Three oversubscribed CTE pathways: Medical Careers, Design Technology, and Beauty Science & Technology — each turning away half (or more) of applicants
- Zero suspensions recorded — strikingly rare given the district's average suspension rate around 1.6%
- Teacher-rated instruction quality at 97%, nearly 10 points above the District 19 average
- A deep extracurricular lineup for a school of just 418 students: DECA, HOSA, SkillsUSA, National Honor Society, dual mentoring groups, and peer mediation
- Right on top of the C train at Liberty Avenue — three subway lines within a seven-minute walk
Things to consider
- Academic proficiency data isn't reported here — families who weigh schools heavily by test scores should ask Maxwell directly for its most recent results
- PTA fundraising is essentially zero ($100 total last year, $0 per student) compared with a district average of about $18.50 per student — enrichment rides on the school budget alone
- 36% IEP enrollment means strong special education services, but families should confirm fit for any specific learning profile
- Survey response rates are low (15% of families, 35 teachers) — climate numbers look great, but they reflect a self-selected slice rather than broad input
- This is an educational-option high school, not a zoned school — applying and ranking Maxwell on the high school application is required
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 19
Most of District 19's standout peer schools on file are elementary campuses scoring in the 74-85 range. Maxwell occupies a different niche as one of the district's smaller, career-focused secondary options, where the metrics we have point to a tight, well-run school that doesn't show up on the typical elementary-school scoreboards.
Academics
Proficiency scores aren't included in the data we have for Maxwell, so traditional ELA and math comparisons aren't possible here. What stands out instead is the career-pathway model: Medical Careers and Design Technology each get about 216-219 applicants for 100 seats (a 50% offer rate), and Beauty Science & Technology turns away three out of four applicants with just 54 seats for 204 students. The school layers AP courses and ELL support on top of the CTE tracks, and class size lands at 21.8 — essentially identical to the district average.
Culture
Zero suspensions is the headline number — against a District 19 average suspension rate of about 1.6%, Maxwell runs an unusually quiet ship. Teachers rate instruction quality at 97%, well above the district average of 88%, and parent trust in teachers and the principal both sit in the 90-91% range. The honest caveat: only 15% of families returned the survey and just 35 teachers responded, so these numbers reflect a small but consistent group of voices rather than a sweeping consensus.
Community
Maxwell's students are 56% Black and 38% Hispanic, with smaller shares of Asian, White, Multi-Racial, and Native American students — a diversity index of 52%. The economic need index of 89.3 tells you most students come from low-income households, and 36% have IEPs, well above citywide norms. East New York itself has a median household income around $58,000 and a 25% poverty rate, so the student body reflects its neighborhood almost beat for beat.
Neighborhood
East New York is a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood where about a quarter of residents live below the poverty line and roughly 17% of households include children. Homeownership sits around 30%, and fewer than 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — this is a community where multigenerational households and renting families are the norm. The school is steps from the subway, with three lines nearby making it unusually accessible for a Brooklyn high school.
The school is about a two-minute walk from the Liberty Avenue C train and roughly six minutes from the Alabama Avenue J/Z — about the easiest commute you'll find in East New York.
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 75 families responded (15% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
Come design your future at Maxwell. Choose fashion or graphics/advertising to explore your creativity and build your design concepts through the tools of the trade and technology. Build your very own portfolio of through a wide array of mediums.
Students in this program will explore the medical science curriculum. Prerequisite classes teach students the basic concepts in anatomy and physiology and health careers. Classes focus on medical terminology, prevention, law, and ethics. Students in Vision Technology learn the anatomy of the eye and how to read prescriptions, culminating in the actual creation of functional eyewear. Students will leave with First Aid/CPR/AED certification.
This program trains students to gravitate towards a career in the salon/spa industry. Upon completion of training, students will be eligible to take the New York State Board Licensing Examination in Nail Technology, Natural Hair Care and Appearance Enhancement, which covers all areas of Cosmetology. While in training, students have an opportunity to practice their skills on clients in the community, work-based experiences and in school.
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. W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School admits through 3 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Beauty Science & TechnologyEd. Opt.
- Design TechnologyEd. Opt.
- Medical CareersEd. Opt.
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 W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School a good school?
- On Motley, W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School earns an overall rating of 56/100 — 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 W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School serve?
- W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School?
- W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School uses the Educational Option (Ed-Opt) method, ranking applicants across performance levels so seats go to a mix of abilities.
- Is W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School public, charter, or private?
- W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School is a public school in NYC Community School District 19.
- What neighborhood is W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School in?
- W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School is in East New York (North), Brooklyn.