High School Letter Grades Mixed In Forest Hills

High School letter grades were released by the New York City Department of Education Nov. 3, and the results for Forest Hills were somewhat mixed.

received an A overall from the department, but was penalized for its scores in school environment, a category in which it received a D.

on Austin Street didn't fare as well in the reports, receiving a C overall, with another D in the school environment category.

With nearly 4,000 students, Forest Hills High School's massive student body is certainly a challenge to manage, but Forest Hills fared well on the most heavily weighted portions of the evaluation.

Forest Hills High was penalized based on student and parent surveys about safety and respect and academic expectations. It was also penalized for having attendance in the lowest two-thirds of all city schools.

Despite the school environment troubles, the high school fared well in most academic categories, scoring in the top third in nearly every evaluated academic category.

Forest Hills High School Principal Saul Gootnick said he and his staff were thrilled with the A grade, and touted the school's status as the only large high school in the borough to receive an A two years in a row.

"It's a very positive thing for the school," Gootnick said. "Over the last two years, graduation rates have gone up from 78 to 86 percent...it's something to be very proud of."

Gootnick said the school recognizes that the D grade in school environment is no cause for celebration, and said the school has worked hard to improve communication with parents.

"That is all communication, and we are working on that," he said. "The parents all have all the e-mail addresses of all the teachers, we have a new parent outreach room and monthly breakfast with the principal."

Russel Sage Junior High School didn't fare as well, earning an overall C that is largely a result of what the Department of Education says is a lack of engagement, communication and low expectations on the part of students.

Russel Sage was also given mediocre marks for student performance, with most students at or near the middle of the pack in all categories. The school's grade was also impacted by slow growth among the school's low-performing students.

A representative of the junior high did not return a message left for comment.