New Utrecht High School

New Utrecht High School is a public high school located in Bensonhurst, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education under District 20 and serves students of grades 9 to 12. A total of 40.5% of students are Asian-American, constituting a plurality of the student population. The school was ranked 12th out of 542 high schools in New York City for number of students in the 2022–23 academic year. History New Utrecht High School was established in 1915 as an offshoot of the nearby coeducational Bay Ridge High School. New Utrecht High School became an all-boys school, while Bay Ridge High School became an all-girls school. The school's first location was a wooden building on 86th Street and 18th Avenue, with a population of 350 students. Irving Hazen was the founding principal, and he adopted the green and white colors of his alma mater, Dartmouth College, as the school's colors. In November 1924, the school moved to its present location on 80th Street and 16th Avenue, with 2,300 students. In February of the following year, girls were admitted, resulting in the school becoming coeducational. Over the next few years, the school continued to grow, consisting of a main building and four annexes, with a student population of nearly 11,000. It was the largest student body in the world at the time. In 1930, with a student population of 9,000, it was reported that 10 communists attacked the student government while they were debating. New Utrecht High School was the scene of several racial conflicts between black and white youth within the community in the 1970s to 1990s. In 1974, 300 black students stormed the school after a fight between a black student and a white student ended with the black student being injured, spurring rumors that the incident was a racial attack. Three white students and two black students were arrested in the aftermath of the school incident. In 1990, a black student was shot by a group of white students stemming from an incident in the school locker room. In the 2000s, New Utrecht High School underwent a major overhaul. It added a new, two-story cafeteria building, which replaced the old cafeteria located in the main building. The old cafeteria was subsequently turned into classroom space. A new entrance was also created, accompanied by a corridor connecting the cafeteria building with the main building. Today, New Utrecht High School functions as a zoned school primarily serving students living in the neighborhoods of Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights in Brooklyn, New York. As of 2024, the principal of the school is Svetlana Litvin. Demographics A plurality of New Utrecht's student body is Asian-American, reflecting the high Asian population of Bensonhurst and the surrounding neighborhoods. A significant portion of the student population is Hispanic. Both the Asian and Hispanic percentages have increased and continue to do so, while percentages for White and Black students have consistently decreased over the past decade. There is a large gender gap among the student body. In the 2023-24 school year, 55.0%, or 1,720 students, were male; only 45.0%, or 1,405 students, were female. In addition, 16.4% of students have disabilities, 18.3% are English Language Learners, 79.4% are in poverty, and 79.9% are considered to be part of the Economic Needs Index. Enrollment Curriculum New Utrecht High School offers a variety of classes to fulfill the credit requirements for New York City students, including electives such as art and music classes, the student government, and math team. Most academic classes are available at the Honors level for higher-achieving students, and the school offers many Advanced Placement courses. Academies There are several academies at New Utrecht High School, some of which offer employment-oriented training in specialized fields, which include: Some of the academies are associated with NAF, a non-profit organization originally known as the National Academy Foundation. Proficiency The graduation rate in June 2022 was 73.8%, a decline from 81.2% in June 2021 and 85.1% in June 2020. During the 2021–22 school year, 44% of students were classified as chronically absent by the New York State Department of Education, including over 57% of Hispanic students and almost 79% of black students. In comparison, around 54% of white students were chronically absent and just under 24% of Asian students, suggesting strong inequities in school attendance. Regents scores The following table lists a report of Regents scores from June 2023. SAT scores The mean SAT score among New Utrecht students in Spring 2024 was a 966, with a 472 in English and a 495 in Mathematics. This is below the national average of 1028. Notable alumni Walter Adams (1922–1998): economist, university president Koby Altman (born 1982): professional basketball general manager Carmine Appice (born 1946): musician, drummer Steve Augeri (born 1959): singer Troy Ave (born 1985): rapper Lord Have Mercy (born 1973): rapper Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass; 1919–2009): actor Seymour Benzer (1921–2007): biologist Barbara Aronstein Black (born 1933): academic dean Abe Burrows (1910–1985): playwright Pat Capri (1918–1989): professional baseball player Jack Carter: comedian Ronald Castorina: politician Phyllis Chesler: feminist author, psychologist Joseph Colombo (1923–1978): criminal Louis "Louie Bagels" Daidone (born 1946): criminal Billy DeMars (1925–2020): professional baseball player, coach Max Desfor (1913–2018): photographer Victor Dorman (1915–1995): packaging process inventor Amram Ducovny (1927–2003): writer Stanley Ellin: author Jerry Ferrara: actor Cy Feuer: playwright, stage director, producer Stanley Fink (1936–1997): politician Eli Friedman (born 1933): nephrologist Leo Friedman: Broadway photographer Allen Funt (1914–1999): TV personality GASHI (born 1989): rapper David Geffen (born 1943): media mogul Ralph Ginzburg (1929–2006): author, editor, publisher, photojournalist Bernice Gottlieb (née Bernice Friedman; born 1931): pioneer in the transracial adoption movement, real estate executive Philip Habib (1920–1992): diplomat Buddy Hackett (born Leonard Hacker; 1924–2003): comedian Barbara Grizzuti Harrison: writer Sal Iacono: television comedian David Ignatow: poet, author Gabe Kaplan (born 1945): comic, actor, poker player Michael Kidd (1915–2007): choreographer Harvey Lembeck (1923–1982): actor Howard Levy: dermatologist, Vietnam War resister Steve Lombardi: professional wrestler Paulie Malignaggi: professional boxer Harold Martin (1918–2010): politician Patty McCormack: actress Robert Merrill (1917–2004): opera singer Walter Mischel (1930–2018): psychologist famous for the Marshmallow Test and contributions to personality and social psychology Art Modell (1925–2012): businessman, entrepreneur, professional sports team owner Doretta Morrow: actress Sam Nahem (1915–2004): professional baseball player Angela "Big Ang" Raiola: TV personality Anthony Ramos: actor, singer Teddy Reig (1918–1984): jazz record producer, promoter, artist manager Daniel Rodriguez: singer Stan Rosen (1906–1984): professional football player Spencer Ross: sportscaster Herschel Savage: pornographic actor John Saxon (1936–2020): actor Ralph Snyderman (born 1940): physician, scientist, administrator Arnold Stang: comedian, actor Martha Stewart (1922–2021): film and TV actress, singer Robert Treuhaft (1912-2001): labor movement attorney, defended 700 UC Berkeley students on trial for protesting during the Free Speech Movement. Tony Visconti (born 1944): music producer In popular culture New Utrecht High School is the venue for key scenes in the 1947 movie It Happened in Brooklyn, starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Jimmy Durante, and Peter Lawford. The front and rear views of the school building were used in the opening and closing scenes of the TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, which starred alumnus Gabe Kaplan. Gallery Notes References External links School website DOE website