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Our Insights

What’s Special

Strong commercial arts program; solid academics; well-equipped, modern building

The Downside

Limited foreign language instruction

Art and Design is a vibrant school that offers hands-on training in commercial and digital arts including animation, architecture, cartooning, fashion, film, graphic design, illustration and photography. Students participate in paid internships in the industry and earn professional certifications in a range of skills. The school, which attracts students from across the city, offers strong academics including advanced and college level courses as well as support for students needing extra help.

Founded in 1936, Art and Design counts many prominent artists and designers among its alumni including Tony Bennett, Harvey Fierstein, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Art Spielgelman, and Devon Rodriguez, a 2014 graduate who is the most-followed artist on TikTok. Many of the school's teachers are working artists and its  industry partners and network of loyal alumni provide a steady stream of internships and employment opportunities for students and graduates.

Walk into any of the art classes and you'll see talented and engaged students in action. During our last visit we observed fashion students designing their ready-to-wear lines inspired by different periods in history. Illustration students refined digital collages inspired by the Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo. In a film class, students offered a scene-by-scene critique of a classmate's work.

Writing, oral presentations, research projects, and technology are constants in all arts classes. Students craft artist statements and share their work and research with peers. The school's numerous computer labs are full each period with students crafting and editing work as well as converting their creations into digital form, an essential skill that artists need to market their work.

In academic classes there's a mix of teaching styles. Group work dominates in some, while teacher-directed lessons are the norm elsewhere. Regardless of the class structure, teachers build in time for student discussion and reflection.

Schoolwide there's been a push for more project-based work. In every grade, students completes a research project that involves lessons in multiple subjects and incorporates written, visual, and oral presentations.

Qualifying students may take courses at Hunter College and there's an assortment of Advanced Placement (AP) courses. For an arts-focused school, there's a nice range of science offerings. In addition to traditional Regents courses in earth science, living environment, chemistry and physics there are elective courses in forensics as well as several AP options.

Students may study Spanish or French for up to two years.  

Extra-curricular activities abound in the arts and other areas. In addition to sports teams, there are a range clubs. A student-run advertising agency designs marketing campaigns for social justice and environmental-focused organizations. There’s also a film studies summer internship program at NYU.

Maximillian Re-Sugiura, a former assistant principal of High School for Environmental Studies became principal in August 2019.

Art and Design is housed on six floors of a contemporary building in midtown Manhattan that it shares with PS 59. There's a myriad of well-equipped art studios and academic classrooms, an expansive gymnasium, a fitness room equipped with cardio and weight-training equipment, and a bright and airy cafeteria adorned with a stain glass mural designed by Art Spiegelman.

After graduation, some students get jobs in the art industry, but many choose to attend art schools such as Cooper Union, Parsons, Pratt, Rhode Island School of Design as well as CUNY and SUNY schools and private institutions.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: There are ICT classes and SETSS.(Laura Zingmond, October 2016; updated via interview, November 2022 )

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School Stats

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

Academics

School
Citywide
How many students graduate in 4 years?
 
97%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
96%
How many English language learners graduate in 4 years?
 
80%
Average daily attendance
 
89%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
35%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
87%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
89%
From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

1464
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
50%
Students with disabilities
 
24%
Multilingual learners
 
1%
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?
 
88%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
36%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
19%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
87%
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?
 
77%
3.1
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
209
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?
 
83%
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

 
2%

Computer Science

Not offered in 2019-20

Physics

 
8%

Advanced Foreign Language

Not offered in 2019-20

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
42%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
5%

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?
 
84%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
99%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
80%
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?
 
97%
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

Architectural Design (M60N)

Admissions Method: Audition

Program Description:

Program includes study of structures, space, color, form, with a focus on hand drafting as well as software applications, architectural design, model making, sketching, and AutoCAD. Seniors complete city planning design project to address current zoning issues. Students visit museums and professional studios, design showrooms and hear from professionals. Student projects are critiqued and reviewed by industry partners in order to provide students with specific, relevant industry feedback.

Commercial Art and Design (M60P)

Admissions Method: Audition

Program Description:

9th grade: Design Foundations 10th grade: Select CTE major from Cartooning, Fashion/Costume Design or Illustration. Technical assessments are required for CTE certification. Upper grade students can apply for AP courses in Illustration or Cartooning. All portfolios are evaluated by professionals. This program offers opportunities for internships. Museum visits, rotating student exhibitions, and visiting industry professionals are all included in this program.

Film/Video Production (M60Q)

Admissions Method: Audition

Program Description:

Our comprehensive, three-year, studio-based curriculum immerses students in the pre-production, production, and post-production process. Through hands-on filmmaking, students learn film theory, film analysis, scriptwriting, editing in Adobe Premiere Pro, and gain industry-based technical and theoretical knowledge. Students have access to state-of-the-art equipment, participate in contests and film festivals, and meet visiting artists and professionals.

Digital Arts (M60R)

Admissions Method: Audition

Program Description:

9th grade: Design Foundations. 10th grade: select CTE major from Animation, Digital Photography and Graphic Design. Technical assessment required for CTE certification. Upper grade students can apply for AP courses in Graphic Design. All digital portfolios are evaluated by industry professionals. Opportunities to learn from industry professionals during in class presentations and workshops. Visits to various design studios. Opportunities for job shadowing, mentorship and internships.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Psychology, AP Studio Art - 2D, AP Studio Art - Drawing, AP United States Government and Politics, AP United States History, AP World History: Modern, Chemistry (Advanced Science), ELA (College Course [Credited]), Math (College Course [Credited]), Physics (Advanced Science), Science (College Course [Credited]), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Soccer, Volleyball

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Fencing, Soccer, Softball, Table Tennis, Volleyball

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

231-249 East 56 Street
Manhattan NY 10019

Trains: 4 Line, 5 Line, N Line, Q Line, R Line to 59th St; 6 Line, E Line, M Line to Lexington Av-53rd St

Buses: BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4, BM5, BxM1, BxM10, BxM11, BxM18, BxM3, BxM4, BxM6, BxM7, BxM8, BxM9, M1, M101, M102, M103, M15, M15-SBS, M2, M3, M31, M4, M5, M50, M57, Q101, Q32, Q60, QM1, QM10, QM12, QM15, QM16, QM17, QM18, QM2, QM20, QM21, QM24, QM3, QM31, QM32, QM34, QM35, QM36, QM4, QM40, QM42, QM44, QM5, QM6, SIM10, SIM11, SIM1C, SIM22, SIM23, SIM24, SIM25, SIM26, SIM3, SIM30, SIM31, SIM33C, SIM3C, SIM4C, SIM6, SIM8, SIM8X, X27, X28, X37, X38, X63, X64, X68


Contact

Principal: Maximillia Re Sugiura

Parent Coordinator: Janeen Johnson

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Midtown East Campus with one other school

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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