Achievement First Crown Heights High School

1485 Pacific Street
Brooklyn, NY 11216

Achievement First Crown Heights High School is a new public charter high school in Brooklyn, NY, which will share best practices with Amistad-Elm City High School, the first high school in the Achievement First network of high-performing public charter schools located in New Haven, CT. One of the best lessons learned from Amistad-Elm City High School, which opened in 2006, is the need for urban high schools explicitly committed to closing the achievement gap. Achievement First Crown Heights High School will ensure that students receive the consistent academic rigor and character development they need to complete the path to college.

School Description

Opened: August 2009
Grades: Nine (growing to nine to 12)
Community: Urban
School Type: Public charter
School Year: Three trimesters

Student Population

Number of Students in 2009-10: 62
Student Demographics in 2009-10:
40% Boys, 60% Girls
98% African American or Hispanic
72% Qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch
Average Daily Attendance: 98%
Graduation Rate: n/a (inaugural 12th graders to graduate in June 2013)

Overview

Achievement First Crown Heights High School is based on an innovative premise: closing the achievement gap by providing a prep-school quality education to inner-city students. Achievement First Crown Heights High School combines rigorous academics and high expectations with a host of supports, including SAT prep, intensive college counseling, tutoring, explicit character education and a school culture in which it is “cool to be smart.” Key facets of the Achievement First Crown Heights High School program include:

Rigorous course of studies for all students: At Achievement First Crown Heights High School, every student is on a college-preparatory track. All students complete a rigorous course of studies focused on core academics, and acceptance to a four-year college or university is a graduation requirement.
Personal attention for each student: As a small school, we can better meet the needs of each individual student. Small class sizes, small case loads for college counselors and small advisories enable us to make sure that no student “falls through the cracks.”
Focused learning environment: One of the biggest obstacles to learning at many urban high schools is a lack of discipline. At Achievement First Crown Heights High School, our staff works hard to create and maintain a sacred learning environment where all students are focused and engaged and where it is “cool” to be smart.
Commitment to robust student life programs: While providing a strong academic foundation will always be our first priority, we also realize that our students need opportunities to have varied experiences, including internships, community service and summer programs. In addition, it is important that our students have a fun and memorable high school experience made possible through the availability of extracurricular activites, awards ceremonies, senior privileges, dances and other popular high school rituals.

Admission

Achievement First Crown Heights High School is a public charter school open to graduates of Achievement First Crown Heights Middle School. Students are admitted to the middle school by a blind lottery. There are no admission requirements, tests or interviews, and there are no admission or tuition fees for students of our middle or high school. We serve special education students, English Language Learners, talented and gifted students and everyone else who comes through the lottery to our schools.

School Leader

Paul Adler is the founding principal of Achievement First Crown Heights High School. In this capacity, Mr. Adler is responsible for assembling a top-notch teaching team, planning and implementing school culture systems and designing curriculum. Before joining Achievement First, Mr. Adler was a founding mathematics teacher and the assistant principal at Brooklyn Preparatory High School, a small public school located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In collaboration with his fellow math teachers, Mr. Adler helped increase student passing rates on the algebra portion of the New York State Regent’s exam from 23 percent to 80 percent. Mr. Adler also coached the basketball team, which earned a semifinal appearance in its second year in the Police Athletic League. Mr. Adler earned a B.A. in quantitative economics from Tufts University. He received his M.A. in teaching from Harvard University and a M.Ed. in organizational leadership from Columbia University.