Forest Hills HS gets an “A”

Forest Hills High School – one of 18 Queens high schools to receive an “A” progress report rating – was visited by Assemblymember Andrew Hevisi, State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky and Councilmember Karen Koslowitz, who recently presented Principal Saul Goodnick with a congratulatory proclamation.
“This is one of the best schools in the city and it continues to get better, and to do it under such difficult circumstances is really an achievement,” said Hevisi referring to issues such as overcrowding and recent budget cut. As stated in the proclamation, Forest Hills High School was the only school of their size, population (3,913 students, 9-12 grade), and resources in New York City to receive an A grade.
The fourth annual progress reports for 422 New York City public high schools released by School Chancellor Joel Klein show that little change was made from last year’s report. In all, 40 percent of high schools earned As, 29 percent Bs, 21 percent Cs, seven percent Ds, and three percent Fs. Last year, 45 percent earned As, 29 percent Bs, 19 percent Cs, seven percent Ds, and less than one percent Fs.
“As we step up our efforts to prepare every graduate for college or careers, there are encouraging signs of progress — more kids are earning credits on time and passing Regents exams, and there’s no sign of letting up,” said Klein.
Each progress report is based on three criteria: school environment – which includes the results of surveys taken by more than 920,000 parents, students and teachers; student performance – which measures graduation outcomes; and student progress – which measures how well schools are helping students progress towards graduation by amassing course credits and passing Regents exams. Principal Goodnick calls Forest Hills’ second consecutive “A” rating “a total team effort.”
“We are a large high school that has a lot to offer,” said Goodnick, who has seen graduation rates climb from 78 percent to 86 percent and attendance rise to 91 percent during his tenure as principal. “We open at 6:45 a.m. for breakfast and close at 8 p.m. every day. We have 19 teams, 47 clubs. There is something for every child. We’ve created a real community at Forest Hills.”
Other Queens high schools that received “A” grades on their progress reports include Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School, Information Technology High School, Newcomers High School, Academy of American Studies, Baccalaureate School for Global Education, Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, High School for Construction Trades, Engineering and Architecture, Channel View School for Research, East-West School of International Studies, Townsend Harris High School, Academy of Finance and Enterprise, High School of Applied Communication, Bard High School Early College II, International High School at LaGuardia Community College, High School for Arts and Business, Queens Vocational and Technical High School and Aviation Career & Technical Education High School.