Newtown High School

In perspective, the school had over 5000 students in the '90's N now it has less than 3000==> it's not so crowded. However, when there are so many people in a 1 block radius there are incidents N yet there are plenty of days with no incidents. The majority of the students have English as a second language and it takes at least 3 years to reach academic proficiency in a language. It slows graduation rate because students must pass English Regents. Dedicated students who are interested in getting education do very well here. A major problem for school reputation is lack of values. Lack of parental supervision given that many parents work all hours and some only come home one /two nights a week is a major contributor to the students below average performance. Part of the problem is that under Mr.Bloomberg's regime, one size must fit all N the school does not offer classes that would appeal to those with no academic interests. Gangs exists in the city N in the school the gangs have not taken over though surely there are gang members who attend. I have worked there for 20 years and have seen how quality of the students has diminished. DOE assigns us mostly below average students.
--Submitted by a teacher

This school might have been great once upon a time, but, that is no longer the case. Sad to say, the school is crowded and a vast majority of the students are ruthless. They disrespect the teachers which makes it difficult to grasp what is being taught or said by the teachers. It can be a little overwhelming at times. If I could go back in time and re-do my high school application, I would definitely omit NHS. It needs a complete makeover consisting of new students, new teachers, new administration with the exception of maybe one hand full of people I can think of that can stay and make a difference, and new principal, definitely!!!!
--Submitted by a student

I completely agree!!!! So sad when you have a school that has wonderful programs put in place so that a child can excel and yet, there is no appreciation. Simply put, some children need to get their priorities straight and I believe tht is the problem. I have visited the school many times and am saddened by what I see and what I hear and some of the staff just doesnt care or perhaps are burned out. My child who was an honors student fell victim to the lack of organization and was placed in a freshman class with kids that were rude, uncaring, haughty, to describe a few, and best one of all - not an honors class. Needless to say, I am working towards a transfer. This the worse decision we made - to apply for
--Submitted by a parent

this school is bad people fight there are drugs and some kids dont want to learn. many kids just are rude and disrespectfull towards everyone i wouldnt recommend it. besides it would be great if they closed this school down to prevent dangerouse people from being around normal kids.
--Submitted by a student

Im a sophmore at Newtown and it happens to be a pretty decent school despite what others have to say about it . There is almost no violence at this school and it is a pretty safe learning enviornment . There is probably some gang affiliation but i have yet to see this . This is new york city in almost every high school there are gang affiliated students.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is horrible.. i came from florida to think i was going to attend a decent public school, but boy was i wrong.. the teachers have no discipline, a lot of gangs,no safety, student skip anytime, and the teaching is horrible, i will never reccomend this school to anyone, move your kids to florida and they will actually learn something!
--Submitted by a student

This school has different ethnic groups its is easy for anyone to fit in. At this school it is all up to the student, if the student wants to acieve goals and works hard for them, the student definitely can suceed. You cant blame the school or the teachers, you can only blame the wrong students. There are many students in this school that work hard everyday and try more than their best. The point is its all up to how the child/student is willing to work at school you cant blame the school of the staff for anything. The school tries its best and so does the staff... the school want the students to suceed.
--Submitted by a parent

This school has a very racist environment and will never be able to overcome the fact that they are in a diverse community.
--Submitted by a teacher

I graduated from this high school and don't have any complaints. Most of the teachers there are very nice and are fair when it comes to grades. Yes, Newtown has a bad reputation because of fights and other problems but it depends on the student. If your not looking for trouble, you won't have any. This school has plenty of options for extracurricular activities, ranging from a school newspaper to a golf team. You'll never have trouble finding something to do after school.

Excellent !! Excellent !! high school. I dont understand why people rated it so horrible and bad comments. Everyone in my family went to this high school and my kids. My kids got accepted to other schools such as Brooklyn Tech however they chose Newtown. I mean whats so good about going to brooklyn tech if you will end up in a college where other students from 'bad public schools' went to. It doesn't make sense. First of all, Newtown is an extremely diverse student body and staff which helps you get more comfortable with real life and if your getting a job in new york city you should be ready to see different faces. Second, they had and still have so many clubs, teams, shows, contests, and etc.
--Submitted by a parent