There are three high schools in my district. One high school is located on each end of the county (North and South) and the third is in the middle. The two end high schools are comparable in size. They are both smaller schools. The mid-county school has a larger student body.
I attended the high school located in the South end of our county. I knew most every student’s name in my graduating class. I knew all of the teachers and felt comfortable talking with them. I believe that small high schools have an advantage over larger schools in which students do not have a personal bond with teachers.
New York City shares my same idea. The goal in New York City is to replace all of the large high schools with smaller ones. Since 2002, the city has opened 47 new high schools. Since the opening of these new schools, the graduation rate has gone up, student attendance has improved, and the promotion rate also has increased. The smaller schools are allowing for students to have a more personal relationship with faculty members and the student body.
The traditional high school in New York City has an average student body of 3,000 students. The goal of the new schools is to have a student body of no more than 500 students. In addition to a smaller student body, the schools will also have smaller class sizes. The mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, hopes to achieve more intimate high schools were every student knows every teacher. He hopes to open at least 250 small high schools.
Those who are skeptical of the new school openings are afraid that the schools will only select the highest achievers and leave the rest behind. The city has made a promise that this will not happen. It says that as the schools increase in staff members and capabilities, students with special needs will be included.
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