Student Body

In choosing BHSEC over their other high school opportunities, students show their desire for intellectual challenge, their willingness to work hard to master demanding skills and material, and their preference for an education that values collaboration over competition.

Our students come from all five boroughs and from a wide range of middle schools. 20% of our students were born outside the United States; many more are the children of parents born abroad; more than 50 different countries are represented by the families of students who entered our ninth grade classes in 2008, and a language other than English is spoken in the homes of about half our students. At BHSEC, students are encouraged to work closely together, to bring their own experience to bear in their classes, and to forge friendships with students whose experience is very different from their own.

Kesi Augustine, BHSEC '08

"BHSEC students come from the five boroughs of New York City, from both high- and low-income families. They are the children of immigrants from all over the world. They identify as Christians, Muslims, Jews, and atheists. They are hipsters, athletes, artists, musicians, liberals, conservatives, and most importantly, eager students. My experience at BHSEC taught me that our similarities outweigh our differences."