# Prospect Heights High School

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Public school in New York City

Prospect Heights High School Location 883 Classon Avenue Brooklyn , New York United States 40°40′12″N 73°57′41″W / 40.67000°N 73.96139°W / 40.67000; -73.96139 Information Former name The Girls' Commercial High School (1920s-c.1947) Type Public Established 1920s Closed 2006 Gender Girls (initially) Mixed (later) Website prospectheightscampus.com

**Prospect Heights High School**, formerly **The Girls' Commercial High School**, is a defunct [comprehensive high school](/source/Comprehensive_high_school) that served the [Prospect Heights](/source/Prospect_Heights%2C_Brooklyn) neighborhood of [Brooklyn](/source/Brooklyn), [New York City](/source/New_York_City) from the 1920s to 2006. Prospect Heights Campus is the collection of educational buildings that housed Prospect Heights High School until its closure in 2006. Despite its name, the school was south of Eastern Parkway, the commonly accepted southern border of the Prospect Heights.

## History

The Girls' Commercial High School, later to become Prospect Heights High School, was built in the 1920s. The school's exterior was designed to harmonize with the environment, while the interior was made to accommodate 3,500 students in fifty regular classrooms and other specialized laboratories and working rooms. Around 1947, it was renamed Prospect Heights High School as the curriculum encompassed college preparatory academic courses as well as those in fine arts and fashion along with the traditional commercial course. Later the all-girls high school became coeducational.[1] After many years of decline and falling academic levels, the school graduated its last class in June 2006 and was closed. The Prospect Heights building now houses four small high schools: the Brooklyn School for Music and Theater, Brooklyn Academy for Science and the Environment, International High School at Prospect Heights, and the High School for Global Citizenship.[2]

The main reasons for Prospect Heights High school's closure were overcrowding and consistently low performance grades received from the [New York City Department of Education](/source/New_York_City_Department_of_Education). The building was broken down into four smaller high schools, each with a specific focus and a cap on students.

Violence was also an issue within Prospect Heights High School. Its neighborhood saw a rise in gang activities in the 1980s, which seeped into the school and caused problems. Prospect Heights High School was ranked the twelfth most violent high school among New York City's 125 high schools in 1990 by the Board of Education, and became an example used by advocates for more metal detectors in New York City schools. [3] [4] Recently police involvement in the neighborhood has reduced the violence.[5]

## Notable graduates

- [Susan Hayward](/source/Susan_Hayward), actress

- [Rhea Perlman](/source/Rhea_Perlman), actress

- [Anne Klein](/source/Anne_Klein_(fashion_designer)), American fashion designer

- [Kitty Genovese](/source/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese), murder victim

## Current schools on campus

### Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment

[Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment](/source/Brooklyn_Academy_of_Science_and_the_Environment) (BASE) is a three-campus school, created in 2003 in partnership with the Prospect Park Alliance and the [Brooklyn Botanic Garden](/source/Brooklyn_Botanic_Garden).

### Brooklyn School for Music and Theatre

### High School for Global Citizenship

### International High School at Prospect Heights

[International High School at Prospect Heights](/source/International_High_School_at_Prospect_Heights) opened in 2004 to address the needs of recent immigrant students by teaching them fluency in reading, writing and speaking.

## School demographics

Sources:[6][7][8][9]

1. Number of students per school: - International High School at Prospect Heights: 410[10] - High School For Global Citizenship: 207[11] - Brooklyn School for Music and Theater: 322[12] - Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment: 394[13]

1. Here is the racial breakdown of each school in Prospect Heights: - The International High School at Prospect Heights is composed of 12.2% White, 23% Black, 45.6% Hispanic, 15% Asian, and 1.5% American Indian students.[10] - The High School for Global Citizenship is composed of 3% White, 72.5% Black, 18.3% Hispanic, 3.3% Asian, and 1.5% American Indian students.[11] - Brooklyn School of Music and Theater is composed of 1.2% White, 81% Black, 15.8% Hispanic, 0.9% Asian, and 0.3% American Indian students.[12] - Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment is composed of 3% White, 80% Black, 9.6% Hispanic, 5% Asian, and 0.8% American Indian students.[13]

1. Student to teacher ratio per school: - INT: 16.5:1 - HSGC: 14.3:1 - BSMT: 14.9:1 - BASE: 15.7:1

1. % of students at each school that receive free or reduced lunch: - INT: 320 (97%) - HSGC: 285 (88%) - BSMT: 297 (73%) - BASE: 371 (82%)

## Safety and security issues

Every morning students have to enter the building from the backdoor of the cafeteria, where they pass through scanning, remove their belts, and swipe their ID cards to indicate each school's attendance. Electronic devices are allowed in the building. Students must come early to get scanning, because there are four schools in Prospect Heights Campus.[14]

The Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act (SAVE) was passed by the New York State Legislature and signed by Governor George Pataki on July 24, 2000, in response to issues of school safety and violence prevention. [15]

Prospect Heights High School was ranked twelfth most violent among New York City's 125 high schools in 1990 by the Board of Education, rating not only all the security hardware, but also a special full-time security coordinator, a retired police detective.[5]

In 2019, it was reported that the campus had the highest number of “major crimes” of any public NYC high school in the 2017-18 school year, although it was not the most violent.[16]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Prospect Heights High School - Brooklyn, NY"](http://www.nycago.org/Organs/Bkln/html/ProspectHtsHS.html).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["H.S. 440 Prospect Heights High School"](http://insideschools.org/index12.php?fso=1028&all=y#schoolCommentBoxAnchor) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150121184235/http://insideschools.org/index12.php?fso=1028&all=y#schoolCommentBoxAnchor) January 21, 2015, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine). [Insideschools.org](/source/Insideschools.org). Retrieved in March 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Lee, Felicia. ["Teachers Leader Argues for More Metal Detectors"](https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE3D71530F934A35751C1A96F948260), *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*, December 7, 1989. Retrieved in March 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Perlez, Jane. ["New York Schools Consider The Use of Metal Detectors"](https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE7DA1130F937A35756C0A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all), *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*, May 4, 1988. Retrieved in March 2009.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Technos_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Technos_5-1) McAdoo, Maisie. ["In Search of Elegant Solutions"](http://www.ait.net/technos/tq_02/3mcadoo.php) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20081203134540/http://www.ait.net/technos/tq_02/3mcadoo.php) December 3, 2008, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), *TECHNOS QUARTERLY*, 2 (3), 1993. Retrieved in March 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Brooklyn High School For Science And The Environment"](http://www.schooldigger.com/go/NY/schools/0009505523/school.aspx). School Digger. Retrieved in March 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["High School For Global Citizenship"](http://www.schooldigger.com/go/NY/schools/0009505713/school.aspx). School Digger. Retrieved in March 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Brooklyn High School For Music & Theater"](http://www.schooldigger.com/go/NY/schools/0009505514/school.aspx) School Digger. Retrieved in March 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["International High School At Prospect Heights"](http://www.schooldigger.com/go/NY/schools/0009505712/school.aspx). School Digger. Retrieved in March 2009.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-schools.nyc.gov_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-schools.nyc.gov_10-1) ["Find a School - New York City Department of Education"](http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/17/K524/AboutUs/Statistics/register.htm).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ReferenceA_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ReferenceA_11-1) ["Find a School - New York City Department of Education"](http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/17/K528/AboutUs/Statistics/register.htm).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ReferenceB_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ReferenceB_12-1) ["Find a School - New York City Department of Education"](http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/17/K548/AboutUs/Statistics/register.htm).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ReferenceC_13-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ReferenceC_13-1) ["Find a School - New York City Department of Education"](http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/17/K547/AboutUs/Statistics/register.htm).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Dales, Suzanne. ["5 Schools to Use Detectors for Guns"](https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2DD113AF936A35756C0A96E948260), *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*, May 5, 1988. Retrieved in March 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** "School Safety" ["School Safety"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090310191940/http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/sss/SAVE/). Archived from [the original](http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/sss/SAVE/) on March 10, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2009., [New York State Education Department](/source/New_York_State_Education_Department) - Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education. Retrieved in March 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["This NYC high school logged the most 'major crimes' last year"](https://nypost.com/2019/03/30/nyc-public-schools-logged-464-major-crimes-last-year/). March 30, 2019.

v t e Education in Brooklyn Public schools Public School 39 Acad for Excellence in Leadership Acad of Urban Planning Benjamin Banneker Acad Clara Barton HS Boys and Girls HS Brooklyn Acad of Science and the Environment Brooklyn College Acad Brooklyn Democracy Acad Brooklyn Frontiers HS Brooklyn HS of the Arts Brooklyn Int'l HS Brooklyn Latin Brooklyn Prep HS Brooklyn Technical HS Bushwick Leaders HS for Academic Excellence Bushwick School for Social Justice Roy Campanella OTC Rachel Carson HS for Coastal Studies John Dewey HS El Puente Acad for Peace and Justice Fort Hamilton HS Khalil Gibran Int'l Acad Leon M. Goldstein HS for the Sciences William E. Grady CTE HS Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning HS for Public Service: Heroes of Tomorrow HS for Medical Professions HS of Enterprise, Business, & Tech HS of Telecom Arts and Tech Int'l HS at Prospect Heights John Jay Educational Campus Kingsborough EC SS Abraham Lincoln HS James Madison HS William H. Maxwell CATE HS Midwood HS Edward R. Murrow HS New Utrecht HS P-TECH HS Paul Robeson HS for Business and Technology Franklin Delano Roosevelt HS South Brooklyn Community HS Sunset Park HS Transit Tech HS Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice George Westinghouse CATE HS Williamsburg HS for Architecture and Design Closed Bay Ridge HS Boys HS Canarsie HS Eastern District HS Girls HS Erasmus Hall HS Thomas Jefferson HS Lafayette HS Franklin K. Lane HS Metropolitan Corporate Acad Prospect HS Sheepshead Bay HS South Shore HS Samuel J. Tilden HS George W. Wingate HS Private schools Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn schools Bishop Loughlin Memorial HS Cristo Rey Brooklyn HS Fontbonne Hall Acad Nazareth Regional HS St. Edmund Prep HS Saint Saviour HS of Brooklyn Xaverian HS Closed Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School Bishop Kearney HS Brooklyn Prep Catherine McAuley High School St. Joseph HS Other Al-Madinah Al-Noor Brooklyn Waldorf Berkeley Carroll German School Brooklyn Packer Collegiate Institute Poly Prep Saint Ann's School Shulamith of Brooklyn Sinai Academy Yeshivah of Flatbush Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin Yeshivat Shaare Torah Yeshiva Torah Vodaas Higher education Boricua College (Brooklyn Campus) Brooklyn College College Center for Computer Music Long Island Arnold and Marie Schwartz Pharmacy NYU Tandon Pratt Brooklyn Public Library Central Library branches: Macon Closed Business & Career Library This list is incomplete.

v t e Girls' schools in New York City Public girls' schools Young Women's Leadership, Brooklyn Urban Assembly Inst.of Math and Science (Brooklyn) Urban Assembly Sch. of Business (Manhattan) Young Women's Leadership Sch. of East Harlem (Manhattan) Young Women's Leadership Sch., Astoria (Queens) Young Women's Leadership Sch. of Queens (Queens) Excellence Girls Charter Became coed, closed Girls' Commercial Closed Wadleigh HS for Girls Private girls' schools Manhattan Brearley Cathedral HS Chapin Convent of the Sacred Heart Dominican Acad. Hewitt Manhattan HS for Girls Marymount Sch. of New York Nightingale-Bamford Notre Dame Spence St. Jean Baptiste HS St. Vincent Ferrer HS Brooklyn Beth Jacob HS Beth Rivkah B’nos Leah Prospect Park Yeshiva B’nos Yisroel HS for Girls Fontbonne Hall Acad. Merkaz Bnos HS Shulamith Sch. for Girls of Brooklyn Soille Bais Yaakov HS Saint Saviour HS of Brooklyn Tomer Devora HS for Girls Yeshivat Shaare Torah Girls MS Queens Mary Louis Acad. Shevach HS St. Agnes Academic HS Torah Acad. HS for Girls Yeshiva Univ. HS for Girls Bronx Acad. of Mount St. Ursula Preston HS St. Barnabas HS St. Catherine Acad. St. Raymond Acad. Staten Island Notre Dame Acad. St. John Villa Acad. St. Joseph Hill Acad. Became coed Moore Catholic HS (Staten Island) St. Joseph by the Sea HS (Staten Island) Closed Aquinas HS (The Bronx) Catherine McAuley HS (Brooklyn) Dominican Commercial High School (Queens) Mother Cabrini HS (Manhattan) St. Joseph HS (Brooklyn) St. Michael Acad. (Manhattan) Stella Maris HS (Queens) St. Peter's HS for Girls (Staten Island) St. Pius V High School (The Bronx) Bishop Kearney HS (Brooklyn)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Prospect Heights High School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospect_Heights_High_School) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospect_Heights_High_School?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.