Columbia Secondary School

Columbia Secondary School is a public magnet high school serving grades 6-12 in New York City, with a student population of 718. Located in New York City Geographic District #5, which is ranked 701 out of 874 districts in New York and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, Columbia Secondary School stands out as an exceptional educational institution.

The school has consistently ranked among the top high schools in New York, with a statewide ranking between 28-161 over the past 10 years. Its academic performance on state assessments and Regents exams is significantly higher than the district and state averages across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Columbia Secondary School had 78.31% proficiency in 6th grade ELA, compared to 42.11% in the district and 50.86% statewide. The school's strong performance extends across different student subgroups, including female, male, Asian, African American, Hispanic, and white students, with rankings often in the top 100 or even top 20 high schools in New York.

Columbia Secondary School's excellence is further demonstrated by its high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 70.4% to 96.9% over the past few years, and low dropout rates, ranging from 0.0% to 7.4%, which are significantly better than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school has lower chronic absenteeism rates compared to the district and state, ranging from 14.6% to 63.9% over the past few years. This consistent high performance, coupled with the school's commitment to equity and inclusive education, sets it apart from the surrounding schools in the district, such as Mott Hall High School, Eagle Academy for Young Men of Harlem, and Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning & Social Change, which generally perform significantly lower on various metrics.