Overview
Essex Street Academy is a public high school in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, in New York City. The school describes itself as a small public high school serving a diverse population of about 350 students who come from all five New York City boroughs [2]. New York State Education Department (NYSED) records list the school under the legal name Essex Street Academy, with BEDS code 310200011294 and Institution ID 800000058023, and name Wallace Simpson as principal [1]. The campus address published by the school is 350 Grand Street, New York, NY 10002 [3].
This profile summarizes information available from the school’s own website and from the NYSED school data profile. It separates school-published descriptions from state-reported figures and identifies where the available evidence does not answer common questions, such as the school’s specific admissions rules or its precise grade span.
Location and School Identity
Essex Street Academy is located at 350 Grand Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, between Ludlow and Essex Streets. The school notes that visitors may enter on Grand or Ludlow, and that the nearest subway service is the F/M or J/Z lines to the Delancey/Essex Street station [3].
The school’s identity is best confirmed through state records rather than by name alone. NYSED assigns the school BEDS code 310200011294 and Institution ID 800000058023, and lists its legal name as Essex Street Academy [1]. These identifiers distinguish it from other New York schools with similar names. The school’s own materials use the abbreviation “ESA” in places [2].
A school’s street address, however, does not by itself establish which students are eligible to attend it. In New York City, high school admissions are administered centrally rather than through neighborhood attendance zones, so a Lower East Side address should not be read as a guarantee of eligibility for nearby residents. Readers should confirm eligibility rules with the school and with New York City Public Schools.
NYSED also identifies the support model for the district and school as Local Support and Improvement, a state accountability classification recorded on the school’s data profile [1].
Grades and Academic Programs
Essex Street Academy is described in both the school’s own materials and in state records as a high school [2][3]. The specific grade span is not stated in the sources examined for this profile, so readers should confirm the grades served directly with the school.
Curriculum and graduation requirements
The school describes an emphasis on project-based learning. According to the school, students complete Performance Based Assessment Tasks as their graduation requirements in lieu of the Regents exams [2]. The school states that students develop the skill of making an argument supported by evidence through activities such as designing and conducting experiments, developing a historical thesis, analyzing works of literature through a critical lens, and developing mathematical solutions and proofs [2].
The use of Performance Based Assessment Tasks is described by the school as its own approach; it should not be assumed to apply at other New York City high schools, and graduation requirements can change. Families should verify current requirements with the school and with state and city graduation policy.
Class size, advisory, and academic support
- The school reports an average class size of 22 students [2].
- Advisories are described as groups of 12 to 15 students with one teacher [2].
- Teachers offer academic support in every subject during weekly office hours, according to the school [2].
- The school describes an emphasis on group work, clubs, and student life alongside preparation for college [3].
Activities
The school states that teachers and volunteers run a variety of clubs based on student interest, and that it is open to new activities [2].
Enrollment and School Data
Two enrollment figures appear in the available evidence, and they should not be combined:
- NYSED’s school data profile lists total students at Essex Street Academy as 364 [1]. The excerpt of that profile retrieved for this article does not state the reporting year, so the figure should be read as a state-reported total for a reporting period that must be confirmed on the live profile.
- The school’s own website states that it serves a diverse population of 350 students from all five boroughs [2].
The two numbers differ by a small amount, which may reflect different reporting periods, definitions, or rounding. Neither figure is presented here as the school’s current enrollment.
The NYSED profile for the school also includes sections on school climate and school safety, a student suspension rate (the percentage of students suspended at least one full day during the school year), a measure of chronic absenteeism (the percentage of students absent 10 percent or more of the days they were enrolled), and a four-year graduation rate [1]. The retrieved excerpt did not include the underlying values for those measures, so no results are reported here. Readers who need those figures should consult the NYSED profile directly and note the reporting year shown there.
Performance and climate measures describe specific populations over specific periods. A single figure, such as a graduation rate or an attendance measure, does not by itself establish overall school quality, and the demographic characteristics of an enrolled population should not be used to infer how well a school performs.
Admissions and Enrollment
The sources examined for this profile do not describe Essex Street Academy’s specific admissions process, application deadlines, eligibility rules, or selection criteria. New York City public high school admissions are generally handled through a centralized citywide process rather than by neighborhood assignment, but the details that apply to this school in a given year are set by New York City Public Schools and by the school itself.
Families seeking to apply should:
- Consult New York City Public Schools’ official high school admissions resources for the current application cycle, deadlines, and required steps.
- Check the school’s website or contact the school at (212) 475-4773 to confirm whether any school-specific requirements, auditions, or program applications apply [1][3].
- Treat proximity to the Grand Street campus as a location fact, not as evidence of eligibility [3].
Nothing in the available evidence should be read as a guarantee of admission.
Student Services and Family Information
The school describes several supports for students and families [2]:
- Advisory: each student is placed in an advisory of 12 to 15 students led by one teacher [2].
- Social work: the school states that students have access to four social workers [2].
- Academic help: teachers offer support in every subject during weekly office hours [2].
- Extracurricular life: teacher- and volunteer-run clubs are organized around student interest [2].
The school also states that it aims to provide a safe learning environment and a connected community, and that staff are aware of what is happening in students’ lives [2]. These are the school’s own descriptions of its approach rather than independently measured outcomes.
Other categories of family information, such as accessibility accommodations, language-access services, transportation eligibility, and before- or after-school programming, are not addressed in the sources examined for this profile. The school does publish travel directions, noting that the campus is reachable by the F/M or J/Z trains to Delancey/Essex Street and that entry is available on Grand or Ludlow [3]. Families with specific questions about services should contact the school at (212) 475-4773 [1][3].
How to Verify Current Information
School programs, admissions rules, staffing, and reported data can change from year to year. The following sources are the appropriate places to confirm current details:
- The school’s official website, https://www.essexstreetacademy.org, for program descriptions, news, and contact information [1][3].
- The NYSED school data profile for Essex Street Academy (Institution ID 800000058023), https://data.nysed.gov/profile.php?instid=800000058023, for state-reported enrollment, graduation rate, attendance, suspension, and school climate figures, including the reporting year for each measure [1].
- New York City Public Schools official admissions resources for the current high school application process and eligibility rules.
- The school’s main office at (212) 475-4773, with fax at 212-674-2058, for questions about programs, services, and enrollment [1][3].
Where this profile reports a figure, it names the source and notes whether the reporting period was identified. Where the evidence was silent, the profile says so rather than filling the gap.