Our school community embodies the acronym A.C.E., which stands for Academics, Commitment (to your community) and Ethics. We want our students to not only receive a top-notch education but build relationships with their peers and community while learning the power of making ethical choices. Through their studies and their extracurricular experiences, students have the opportunity to truly embrace the ideas of our namesake, Mrs. Roosevelt, through positive contributions and service to their community and beyond. As a small, screened public high school on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, we offer a breadth and depth of courses to our students, including 13 A.P. courses to our upperclassmen and a variety of electives. We believe in the power of technology integration into a student’s experience in our rapidly evolving world. Each classroom is equipped with an interactive whiteboard and newly installed Apple desktop computers. Laptops and iPads are used to support learning in our classes. Our students are college-bound; 100% of our senior classes graduate and gain acceptances to 4-year colleges and universities, including some of the most selective national and international institutions.

1. Expertise of curriculum/content
2. Professionalism and versatility -- inside and outside of classroom
3. Enthusiasm for learning

The school day is from 8:30 a.m. to 3:22 p.m. Upperclassmen typically arrive at 9:16 a.m. for their first class. ERHS students move between classes without bells and, with parental permission, may leave the premises for lunch. Students learn to advocate for themselves through extra-help and office hours as well as study hall periods built into the school day. All students take English, math, science, social studies, physical education, advisory, foreign language until proficient, and additional elective courses in artistic as well as academic disciplines. Underclassmen build a strong foundation in writing by taking a composition seminar. Various types of instruction and evaluation include everything from writing, group work, traditional college prep lectures, small group discussions, and experiential learning. We have over a 96% daily attendance rate. Before and after school students participate in a wide menu of athletic, community service, interest, and arts activities.

Cooperative learning environments, including student-centered activities, inquiry-based learning, and discussions and the workshop model, including integration of technology.

Eleanor Roosevelt High School is a safe campus. Student discipline infractions are rare, specifically when it comes to physical altercations or threatening environments. Students and families report feeling safe and supported in their educational experience. We encourage students to advocate for themselves to create the most optimal academic and social learning environment. Through our discussions in advisory class and periodic assemblies students hear directly from the principal, faculty and guidance staff about expectations of respectful behavior with one another, whether in school or out of school, in-person or online.

An ERHS tradition that every entering class has participated in is an overnight retreat to the Ramapo Anchorage Camp in Rhinebeck, New York. Since the first year of the school, at the beginning of the freshman year, students and their advisors embark on the trip filled with team-building activities, project adventure challenges, and social experiences. As an extra bonus, we make a stop at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and the Springwood estate. Being surrounded by historical relics symbolic of the rights and freedoms Mrs. Roosevelt stood for enriches the sense of community we instill in our student body.

Like many city schools, we struggle with limited spaces and the layout of our building does not allow for a full-size gym or auditorium on premises. Our physical education space is a large dance studio that supports several indoor athletic activities but limits our ability to offer traditional physical education classes, such as basketball and volleyball indoors. We have found creative solutions to this challenge in the past, including utilizing nearby facilities. Despite not having a full-size gymnasium, our physical education curriculum as well as extra-curricular athletics programs have grown over the years. Our current auditorium experiences acoustical issues and is packed to capacity at popular community events. Thanks to a generous grant, we were able to recently upgrade to state-of-the art audio-visual equipment. In the future we hope to renovate the physical space to improve the experience for audience and presenters.

As an academically-rigorous school, our students and families face the pressures and stresses of balancing school and non-school obligations. Our advisory curriculum and guidance department support students throughout their careers and help them navigate their future options.

Our generous PTA has supported the school by partially funding electives, after-school activities, scholarships, and enrichment of core courses. The New York City Council approved two technology grants to replace outdated computers and related technology in 2010 and 2011. The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce has worked with our school providing speakers to our Economics classes as well as a yearly financial donation to the school to support various school-related programs.

A sampling includes Wesleyan University Cardinal Mentors, CUNY Hunter College NOW, Kiboko.

A complete list of our partnerships can be found at
http://www.erhsnyc.org/apps/pages/?uREC_ID=91500&type=d

Art History, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Government and Politics: Comparative, Economics: Macro, English Literature and Composition, European History, Music Theory, Physics B, Spanish Literature, Statistics, United States History.