New Utrecht High School


New Utrecht High School is a public high school located in Bensonhurst, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The school is operated by the New [York City Department of Education] under District 20 and serves students of grades 9 to 12.
A total of 40.5% of students are Asian-American, constituting a plurality of the student population. The school was ranked 12th out of 542 high schools in New York City for number of students in the 2022–23 academic year.
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History

New Utrecht High School was established in 1915 as an offshoot of the nearby coeducational Bay Ridge High School. New Utrecht High School became an all-boys school, while Bay Ridge High School became an all-girls school.
The school's first location was a wooden building on 86th Street and 18th Avenue, with a population of 350 students. Irving Hazen was the founding principal, and he adopted the green and white colors of his alma mater, Dartmouth College, as the school's colors.
In November 1924, the school moved to its present location on 80th Street and 16th Avenue, with 2,300 students. In February of the following year, girls were admitted, resulting in the school becoming coeducational. Over the next few years, the school continued to grow, consisting of a main building and four annexes, with a student population of nearly 11,000. It was the largest student body in the world at the time. In 1930, with a student population of 9,000, it was reported that 10 communists attacked the student government while they were debating.
New Utrecht High School was the scene of several racial conflicts between black and white youth within the community in the 1970s to 1990s. In 1974, 300 black students stormed the school after a fight between a black student and a white student ended with the black student being injured, spurring rumors that the incident was a racial attack. Three white students and two black students were arrested in the aftermath of the school incident. In 1990, a black student was shot by a group of white students stemming from an incident in the school locker room.
In the 2000s, New Utrecht High School underwent a major overhaul. It added a new, two-story cafeteria building, which replaced the old cafeteria located in the main building. The old cafeteria was subsequently turned into classroom space. A new entrance was also created, accompanied by a corridor connecting the cafeteria building with the main building.
Today, New Utrecht High School functions as a zoned school primarily serving students living in the neighborhoods of Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights in Brooklyn, New York.
As of 2024, the principal of the school is Svetlana Litvin.
NameService beganService endedYears
Svetlana Litvin2021Active3
Maureen Goldfarb2006202115
Howard J. Lucks199720069
Allen Leibowitz1985199712
Michael A. Russo1971198514
Isaac Hersh1957197114
Francis J. Griffith1946–1950, 195519576
Abraham H. Lass195019555
Leo R. Ryan194219464
Maurice E. Rogalin193619426
Harry A. Potter1917193619
Irving A. Hazen191519172

Demographics

A plurality of New Utrecht's student body is Asian-American, reflecting the high Asian population of Bensonhurst and the surrounding neighborhoods. A significant portion of the student population is Hispanic. Both the Asian and Hispanic percentages have increased and continue to do so, while percentages for White and Black students have consistently decreased over the past decade.
There is a large gender gap among the student body. In the 2023-24 school year, 55.0%, or 1,720 students, were male; only 45.0%, or 1,405 students, were female. In addition, 16.4% of students have disabilities, 18.3% are English Language Learners, 79.4% are in poverty, and 79.9% are considered to be part of the Economic Needs Index.
Student demographicsStudent demographicsStudent demographicsStudent demographicsStudent demographicsStudent demographicsStudent demographicsStudent demographics
RaceStudents, 2003Percentage, 2003Students, 2013Percentage, 2013Students, 2023Percentage, 2023Change
Asian73826.1%1,25338.0%1,26540.5% 14.4%
Hispanic66623.5%94728.7%1,11735.7% 12.2%
White1,12439.7%93328.3%62620.0% 19.7%
Black30210.7%1444.4%692.2% 8.5%
Other30.1%170.5%481.5% 1.4%
Total2,833100%3,294100%3,125100%–

Enrollment

Total number of studentsTotal number of studentsTotal number of studentsTotal number of studentsTotal number of students
YearStudentsChange--
1997–19982,734N/A--
1998–19992,594 140--
1999–20002,580 14--
2000–20012,643 63--
2001–20022,728 85--
2002–20032,602 126--
2003–20042,833 231--
2004–20052,934 101--
2005–20063,067 133--
2006–20072,989 78--
2007–20083,007 18--
2008–20092,821 186--
2009–20102,937 116--
2010–20113,228 291--
2011–20123,259 31--
2012–20133,262 3--
2013–20143,294 32--
2014–20153,469 175--
2015–20163,545 76--
2016–20173,613 68--
2017–20183,547 66--
2018–20193,427 120--
2019–20203,480 53--
2020–20213,572 92--
2021–20223,336 236--
2022–20233,118 218--
2023–20243,125 7--

Curriculum

New Utrecht High School offers a variety of classes to fulfill the credit requirements for New York City students, including electives such as art and music classes, the student government, and math team. Most academic classes are available at the Honors level for higher-achieving students, and the school offers many Advanced Placement courses.

Academies

There are several academies at New Utrecht High School, some of which offer employment-oriented training in specialized fields, which include:
  • Academy of Business and Technology
  • Academy of Medical Professions and Health Careers
  • Academy of Legal Studies
  • Academy of Hospitality and Tourism
  • Academy of Art and Design
  • Academy of Asian Studies
  • Academy of Computer Science
  • Honors Academy
Some of the academies are associated with NAF, a non-profit organization originally known as the National Academy Foundation.

Proficiency

The graduation rate in June 2022 was 73.8%, a decline from 81.2% in June 2021 and 85.1% in June 2020.
During the 2021–22 school year, 44% of students were classified as chronically absent by the New York State Department of Education, including over 57% of Hispanic students and almost 79% of black students. In comparison, around 54% of white students were chronically absent and just under 24% of Asian students, suggesting strong inequities in school attendance.

Regents scores

The following table lists a report of Regents scores from June 2023.
ExaminationStudents testedLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Proficient Proficiency compared to state
English Language Arts29%17%15%25%16%28%68% 9%
Algebra I25%20%21%37%12%11%59% 6%
Geometry24%36%16%27%8%14%49% 4%
Algebra II12%33%13%32%12%10%54% 10%
Living Environment20%26%14%43%17%60% 6%
Earth Science10%37%16%34%13%47% 18%
Chemistry16%28%21%40%12%51% 14%
Physics4%21%20%44%15%59% 9%
Global History and Geography II26%13%18%39%16%14%69% 5%
United States History and Government21%11%17%37%31%4%72% 8%

SAT scores

The mean SAT score among New Utrecht students in Spring 2024 was a 966, with a 472 in English and a 495 in Mathematics. This is below the national average of 1028.

Notable alumni

In popular culture

New Utrecht High School is the venue for key scenes in the 1947 movie It Happened in Brooklyn, starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Jimmy Durante, and Peter Lawford.
The front and rear views of the school building were used in the opening and closing scenes of the TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, which starred alumnus Gabe Kaplan.