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Two Manhattan Schools on City's List to Close

By DNAinfo Staff on December 8, 2009 10:34am  | Updated on December 8, 2009 10:21am

By Gabriela Resto-Montero

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN — The Department of Education proposed closing two Manhattan high schools on Monday, calling for phasing-out student enrollment beginning with the 2010 school year.

Norman Thomas High School, in Midtown East, will stop accepting ninth-grade students for the coming school year.

The Choir Academy of Harlem will also stop accepting ninth-graders in 2010 but will continue as a middle school, if the department's proposal is accepted.

The city school board will vote on the the closure proposals at a meeting next month.

Fewer than half of the students at Norman Thomas High School graduate on time, according to the department.

The school operates small academies focused on accounting, tourism and hospitality, marketing and information technology. Its graduation rate for the 2008-2009 school year was 42.7 percent.

Although the Choir Academy of Harlem graduates more of its students, its overall rate, at 57.5 percent, is still lower than the citywide average, according to the department.

The academy offers a curriculum based on choral music, instrumental music and dance, but has seen decreased student interest in recent years, the department said.

The department prepped seven other schools throughout the boroughs for closure, bringing the total of public schools lined up for shuttering in the coming year to 13.