International High School at Union Square

International High School at Union Square, located in Gramercy near Union Square, is a small high school serving recent immigrant students from over 45 countries, speaking more than 25 languages. The school's mission centers on empowering students through real-life, interdisciplinary projects in a supportive, personalized environment, with multilingual staff dedicated to English Language Learners. It offers a focus on athletics, humanities and writing, and visual arts. Parent and student surveys consistently report a highly positive school climate, with strong ratings for safety, fair conflict resolution, and teacher support. The school maintains a solid 4-year graduation rate of 88%, which is around the citywide median. However, college enrollment rates (54.4%) and Regents pass rates in English (45%) and Algebra I (30.6%) are below citywide medians. While the supportive atmosphere is highly valued, some students have expressed a desire for more advanced academic challenges. The school shares the Washington Irving Educational Campus.