New Utrecht High School

Last updated

New Utrecht High School
Front Main Entrance.jpg
Address
New Utrecht High School
1601 80th St

,
11214

United States
Coordinates 40°36′48″N74°00′11″W / 40.6132°N 74.003°W / 40.6132; -74.003
Information
Type Public
EstablishedSeptember 13, 1915
School districtNew York City Geographic District #20
School codeK445
NCES School ID 360015102036 [1]
PrincipalSvetlana Litvin
Teaching staff224.54 (on an FTE basis) [1]
Grades 9-12
Enrollment3,125 (2023–24) [2]
Student to teacher ratio15 [2]
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Green and White
  
MascotUtes
Website www.newutrechthighschoolnyc.com

New Utrecht High School is a public high school located in Bensonhurst, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education under District 20 and serves students of grades 9 to 12.

Contents

A total of 40.5% of students are Asian-American, constituting a plurality of the student population. The school 12th out of 542 high schools in New York City for number of students in the 2022–23 academic year.

History

New Utrecht High School was established in 1915 as an offshoot of the nearby coeducational Bay Ridge High School. New Utrecht High School became an all-boys school, while Bay Ridge High School became an all-girls school.

The school's first location was a wooden building on 86th Street and 18th Avenue, with a population of 350 students. Irving Hazen was the founding principal, and he adopted the green and white colors of his alma mater, Dartmouth College, as the school's colors.

In November 1924, the school moved to its present location on 80th Street and 16th Avenue, with 2,300 students. In February of the following year, girls were admitted, resulting in the school becoming coeducational. Over the next few years, the school continued to grow, consisting of a main building and four annexes, with a student population of nearly 11,000. It was the largest student body in the world at the time. [3] [4] In 1930, with a student population of 9,000, it was reported that 10 communists attacked the student government while they were debating. [5]

New Utrecht High School was the scene of several racial conflicts between blacks and whites within the community in the 1970s to 1990s. In 1974, 300 black students stormed the school after a fight between a black student and a white student ended up with the former being injured, spurring rumors that it was a racial attack. [6] In 1990, a black student was shot by a group of white students stemming from an incident in the locker room. [7]

In the 2000s, New Utrecht High School underwent a major overhaul. It added a new, two-story cafeteria building, which replaced the old cafeteria located in the main building. The old cafeteria was subsequently turned into classroom space. A new entrance was also created, accompanied by a corridor connecting the cafeteria building with the main building. [8]

Today, New Utrecht High School functions as a zoned school primarily serving students living in the neighborhoods of Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights in Brooklyn, New York.

As of 2024, the principal of the school is Svetlana Litvin.

NameService beganService endedYears
Svetlana Litvin2021Active3 [a]
Maureen Goldfarb2006202115
Howard J. Lucks [9] 199720069
Allen Leibowitz [10] 1985199712
Michael A. Russo [6] 1971198514
Isaac Hersh [11] [12] [13] 1957197114
Francis J. Griffith [14] [15] [16] 1946–1950, 195519576
Abraham H. Lass [17] 195019555
Leo R. Ryan [18] [19] [20] [21] 194219464
Maurice E. Rogalin [22] [23] [24] 193619426
Harry A. Potter [25] [26] [27] 19171936 [b] 19
Irving A. Hazen [28] [29] 191519172

Demographics

A plurality of New Utrecht's student body is Asian-American, reflecting the high Asian population of Bensonhurst and the surrounding neighborhoods. A significant portion of the student population is Hispanic. Both the Asian and Hispanic percentages have increased and continue to do so, while percentages for White and Black students have consistently decreased over the past decade.

There is a large gender gap among the student body. In the 2023-24 school year, 55.0%, or 1,720 students, were male; only 45.0%, or 1,405 students, were female. In addition, 16.4% of students have disabilities, 18.3% are English Language Learners, 79.4% are in poverty, and 79.9% are considered to be part of the Economic Needs Index. [30]

Student demographics [30] [31] [32]
RaceStudents, 2003Percentage, 2003Students, 2013Percentage, 2013Students, 2023Percentage, 2023Change [c]
Asian 73826.1%1,25338.0%1,26540.5%Increase2.svg 14.4%
Hispanic 66623.5%94728.7%1,11735.7%Increase2.svg 12.2%
White 1,12439.7%93328.3%62620.0%Decrease2.svg 19.7%
Black 30210.7%1444.4%692.2%Decrease2.svg 8.5%
Other30.1%170.5%481.5%Increase2.svg 1.4%
Total2,833100%3,294100%3,125100%

Enrollment

Total number of students [30] [32] [31] [33] [34] [d]
YearStudentsChange
1997–19982,734N/A
1998–19992,594Decrease2.svg 140
1999–20002,580Decrease2.svg 14
2000–20012,643Increase2.svg 63
2001–20022,728Increase2.svg 85
2002–20032,602Decrease2.svg 126
2003–20042,833Increase2.svg 231
2004–20052,934Increase2.svg 101
2005–20063,067Increase2.svg 133
2006–20072,989Decrease2.svg 78
2007–20083,007Increase2.svg 18
2008–20092,821Decrease2.svg 186
2009–20102,937Increase2.svg 116
2010–20113,228Increase2.svg 291
2011–20123,259Increase2.svg 31
2012–20133,262Increase2.svg 3
2013–20143,294Increase2.svg 32
2014–20153,469Increase2.svg 175
2015–20163,545Increase2.svg 76
2016–20173,613Increase2.svg 68
2017–20183,547Decrease2.svg 66
2018–20193,427Decrease2.svg 120
2019–20203,480Increase2.svg 53
2020–20213,572Increase2.svg 92
2021–20223,336Decrease2.svg 236
2022–20233,118Decrease2.svg 218
2023–20243,125Increase2.svg 7

Curriculum

New Utrecht High School offers a variety of classes to fulfill the credit requirements for New York City students, including electives such as art and music classes, the student government, and math team. Most academic classes are available at the Honors level for higher-achieving students, and the school offers many Advanced Placement courses. [35]

Academies

There are several academies at New Utrecht High School, some of which offer employment-oriented training in specialized fields, which include:

  • Academy of Business and Technology
  • Academy of Medical Professions and Health Careers
  • Academy of Legal Studies
  • Academy of Hospitality and Tourism
  • Academy of Art and Design
  • Academy of Asian Studies
  • Academy of Computer Science
  • Honors Academy

Some of the academies are associated with NAF, a non-profit organization originally known as the National Academy Foundation.

Proficiency

The graduation rate in June 2022 was 73.8%, a decline from 81.2% in June 2021 and 85.1% in June 2020. [36]

During the 2021–22 school year, 44% of students were classified as chronically absent by the New York State Department of Education, including over 57% of Hispanic students and almost 79% of black students. In comparison, around 54% of white students were chronically absent and just under 24% of Asian students, suggesting strong inequities in school attendance. [37]

Regents scores

The following table lists a report of Regents scores from June 2023. [38]

ExaminationStudents testedLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Proficient (Levels 3–5)Proficiency compared to state
English Language Arts29%17%15%25%16%28%68%Decrease2.svg 9%
Algebra I25%20%21%37%12%11%59%Decrease2.svg 6%
Geometry24%36%16%27%8%14%49%Decrease2.svg 4%
Algebra II12%33%13%32%12%10%54%Decrease2.svg 10%
Living Environment20%26%14%43%17% [e] 60%Decrease2.svg 6%
Earth Science10%37%16%34%13% [e] 47%Decrease2.svg 18%
Chemistry16%28%21%40%12% [e] 51%Decrease2.svg 14%
Physics4%21%20%44%15% [e] 59%Decrease2.svg 9%
Global History and Geography II26%13%18%39%16%14%69%Decrease2.svg 5%
United States History and Government21%11%17%37%31%4%72%Decrease2.svg 8%

SAT scores

The mean SAT score among New Utrecht students in Spring 2024 was a 966, with a 472 in English and a 495 in Mathematics. [39] This is below the national average of 1028. [40]

Extracurricular activities

Clubs

Several clubs are available for the students of New Utrecht High School, such as the Green Team, Newspaper, the Photography Club, and the Science Olympiad Team. [41] Many after-school activities are coordinated by the Chinese-American Planning Council, which offers programs to students with the goal of advancing the Asian-American community of New Utrecht.

Events

A few special events and productions are held at New Utrecht High School:

Student government

New Utrecht High School has a student government class which functions as an elective credit for students. Members are responsible for approving funds for clubs and organizing a School Spirit Week, Thanksgiving Dinner, Toy Drive, and other annual school-wide events.

For nearly a century, the student government positions were mayor, deputy mayor, secretary, treasurer, and student representatives from each grade. The mayoral theme was a longstanding tradition that stemmed from the fact that the neighborhood of New Utrecht was named by Dutch settlers after the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

In 2015, the student government changed the name of the two significant positions of mayor and deputy mayor to student body president and vice president. Beginning in Fall 2023, the roles of student president and vice president were abolished and replaced with a council, or group of students. Each member holds an equal role in the student government.

Notable alumni

New Utrecht High School is the venue for key scenes in the 1947 movie It Happened in Brooklyn , starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Jimmy Durante, and Peter Lawford.

The front and rear views of the school building were used in the opening and closing scenes of the TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter , which starred alumnus Gabe Kaplan.

Notes

  1. As of August 2024
  2. It's unlikely but possible that there was another principal from 1932 to 1936, as the latest documentation found of Harry Potter as principal is from 1932.
  3. Change in percentage from 2003 to 2023
  4. The table does not show available enrollment data from 1976 to 1998. You can view this data by clicking on the two references before this note.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Level 4 is the highest proficiency level for this examination.

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