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Our Insights

What’s Special

Many graduates earn an Advanced Regents Diploma and go to college

The Downside

Some classes are big

Lower East Side Prep (LESP) is considered one of the top transfer schools in the city, designed for children who have dropped out of high school or fallen behind, and for new immigrants learning English. It is known for strong transitional bilingual programs in Spanish and Chinese and is successful in sending graduates to college. The school is well-run, orderly and traditional in tone. Unlike many other transfer schools, LESP has a robust list of after-school activities and exciting school-wide events.

There is  an impressive array of technology, including a library media center with iPads, and wireless computer labs. It offers MOUSE Squad Certification, robotics, marine biology, Maker Bot 3D printing and Photoshop lessons, and other programs based on student interest.

The school, which shares the building with Marta Valle High School and The School for Global Leaders is very safe, based on students’ and teachers’ responses to the NYC School Survey. Most students are are recent immigrants and English Language Learners (ELLs) about half of the them are from Chinese-speaking countries; one-fourth are from Spanish-speaking countries, according to the school’s annual Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP).

Each student is assigned a guidance counselor who monitors academic progress and helps children plan their classes and keep track of credit accumulation. Students may earn credits quickly by attending night and after-school classes, Saturday school or doing an independent study. Class size ranges greatly from about 15 to 34 students.

Students may take a number of Advanced Placement courses including calculus, chemistry, studio art, English, Chinese, and Spanish. Roughly half of the students earn the more demanding Advanced Regents diploma and, according to the school’s website, more than 80 percent of graduates go to college.

LESP has lots of support for students. There are multiple staffers available for available for individual counseling including guidance and college counselors, a social worker and a substance abuse prevention and intervention specialist.  The guidance staff speaks Chinese and English, allowing them to better support the student body.

The school has many extracurricular activities including chess club, web design, dance, SAT prep, honor society, and a handful of PSAL sports. According to the CEP, the school also hosts a number of school-wide events like Thanksgiving dinner, talent shows, and an annual student community building trip to Camp Mason.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: The school uses both special education teacher support services (SETSS) and integrated co-teaching (ICT).(Katharine Safter, web reports, July 2018).

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School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Academics

School
Citywide
Transfer school graduation rate
 
63%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
67%
How many English language learners graduate in 4 years?
 
62%
From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

451
Number of students
Citywide Average is 599

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
61%
Students with disabilities
 
9%
Multilingual learners
 
72%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
0%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
92%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
19%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
15%
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
97%
6.1
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
177
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 157

Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity


How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
88%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey, 2021-22 School Quality Guide, 2019-20 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2021 Guidance Counselor Report, and this school's most recent Quality Review Report

Advanced Courses

Which students have access to advanced courses at this school? Learn more

Calculus

 
5%

Computer Science

 
12%

Physics

Not offered in 2019-20

Advanced Foreign Language

 
9%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
20%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
12%

Music

Not offered in 2019-20
From unpublished, anonymized data from the 2021-22 school year provided by the New York State Education Department, brought to you by

College Readiness

School
Citywide
How many students graduate with test scores high enough to enroll at CUNY without remedial help?
 
29%
From the 2020-21 and 2021-22 School Quality Guide
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
39%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought you by
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Programs & Admissions

From the 2024 High School Directory

Lower East Side Preparatory High School (A44A)

Admissions Method: Transfer

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

Mandarin, Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Chinese Language and Culture, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Language and Composition, AP Spanish Language and Culture, AP United States Government and Politics

Boys PSAL teams

Basketball, Soccer

Coed PSAL teams

Table Tennis

Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

145 Stanton Street
Manhattan NY 10002

Trains: B Line, D Line to Grand St; F Line, J Line, M Line, Z Line to Essex St

Buses: B39, M103, M14A-SBS, M14D-SBS, M15, M15-SBS, M21, M22, M8, M9


Contact

Principal: Rene Anaya

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares a building with the School for Global Leaders

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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