Hunter College High School: A Comprehensive Overview
Hunter College High School (HCHS) is a prestigious public academic magnet secondary school located in the Carnegie Hill section of the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Administered and funded by Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY), HCHS offers tuition-free education to academically gifted students from grades 7 through 12. Known for its rigorous academic standards, diverse extracurricular activities, and a strong sense of community, Hunter attracts students from all five boroughs of New York City.
A Legacy of Excellence
Established in 1869 as "The Female Normal and High School," Hunter initially served as a private school dedicated to preparing young women for careers in teaching. The original institution comprised both an elementary and a high school. In 1903, the high school was separated from what would later become Hunter College. For its first 105 years, Hunter operated as an all-girls school, officially named "Hunter College High School for Intellectually Gifted Young Ladies".
Throughout its history, Hunter College High School has occupied several locations, including the East 68th Street campus of Hunter College from 1940 to 1970. Since 1977, the school has been situated at its current site on East 94th Street between Park and Madison Avenues, formerly the location of the Madison Avenue Armory. While most of the armory building was demolished, its façade, including two empty towers, was preserved on Madison Avenue. The school building itself, facing Park Avenue, was constructed to resemble the armory.
Hunter's motto, "Mihi Cura Futuri" (The care of the future is mine), reflects its commitment to nurturing the potential of its students and preparing them for future success. The school prides itself on fostering academic excellence, personal growth, creativity, and a strong sense of community.
Admissions: A Selective Process
Admission to Hunter College High School is highly selective and is only open to seventh-grade students. The admissions process consists of two steps designed to identify students with exceptional academic abilities.
Read also: Hunter Education Course Details
Eligibility: Students from the five boroughs of New York City who achieve high scores on their fifth-grade standardized tests are eligible to take the entrance exam during their sixth-grade school year. Public school students must score in the 90th percentile or above on both the New York State reading and math tests. Private and parochial school students must score in the 90th percentile or above in both reading and math compared to all private school students nationwide. This stringent requirement results in approximately 2,500 or fewer than 4% of New York City's 65,000 fifth-graders being eligible to take the test.
Entrance Exam: Eligible students must then take the entrance exam. Approximately 225 students are admitted to the 7th-grade class each year, known as "Hunterites," with about 200 eventually graduating from the school.
An alternative pathway to the High School is through the elementary school, where 50 students are admitted to kindergarten after an IQ test and interview. This kindergarten admission process is the sole entrance route to the elementary school.
The competitive nature of the admissions process is undeniable, with an acceptance rate of approximately 7%. This selectivity underscores the school's commitment to enrolling students who demonstrate exceptional academic potential.
Academics: A Rigorous Curriculum
Hunter College High School is a college preparatory high school that provides a liberal arts education. The school's curriculum is designed to be rigorous and accelerated, with high school-level study beginning in the 8th grade and state educational requirements typically completed by the 11th grade. This allows students in their junior and senior years to have great flexibility in planning their own academic programs. Options for older students range from Constitutional Law to Organic Chemistry to Theater in New York, along with a broad selection of more traditional Advanced Placement courses in all academic disciplines and the arts, outside internships, and classes at Hunter College.
Read also: Affording Your MSW: Hunter College Tuition
The core curriculum includes a wide range of subjects, with specific requirements for each grade level:
- Grades 7 and 8: Students are required to take courses in communications and theater, which includes drama, storytelling, and theater.
- Grades 7-9: Students must take both art and music, each for half a year, and then choose one to take in tenth grade.
- Grades 7-10: One of the four available foreign language courses (French, Latin, Mandarin, or Spanish) must be taken each year. Advanced Placement (AP) language electives are offered through the 12th grade.
- Science: A year each of biology, chemistry, and physics must be completed in addition to the introductory science classes of life science and physical science in the 7th and 8th grades, respectively. Students must also participate in the school's science fair during 7th and 8th grades, with the fair being optional for older students.
- Social Studies: After the introductory 7th-grade social studies course, students complete 4 semesters of global studies (8th-9th grades) and 2 semesters of American history (10th grade), followed by 2 semesters of 20th-century history (11th grade).
- Mathematics: A series of English and mathematics courses are taught from 7th through 11th grades. The math curriculum is split into a track of "honors" and a track of "extended honors" classes for students of different strengths after 7th grade.
- Physical Education: Two semesters of physical education are taught each year, including swimming in the 8th grade (held at Hunter College). In 9th grade, students are required to take a CPR course for one semester and a computer science course the other semester.
Starting in their junior year, students can take a limited number of electives and AP courses. AP courses include AP Computer Science, AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics, AP European History, AP Chemistry, AP Physics C, AP Biology, AP Statistics, AP Spanish, AP French, AP Mandarin, and AP Latin (Virgil). Other electives include Introduction to African-American Studies, "Race, Class, and Gender", International Relations, US Constitutional Law, Classical Mythology, Photography, Astrophysics, Advanced Art History I & II, Organic Chemistry, Creative Writing, Joyce's Ulysses, Shakespeare's Comedies and Romance/Shakespeare's Tragedies and Histories, and Physiology.
Hunter's English Department incorporates reading novels and writing analytical papers beginning in the 7th grade. Upper-level electives and AP courses are offered by all six academic departments.
Hunter's AP offerings are currently being evaluated by the Faculty and Curriculum Committee.
Faculty and Resources
Hunter College High School boasts a dedicated and highly qualified faculty. In 2013, there were 87 faculty members, with 89% holding advanced degrees. Many teachers are scientists, writers, artists, and musicians, and bring university-level teaching experience to the school. The student/faculty ratio is 13:1, much lower than the city's other selective public schools.
Read also: Hunter College: Location, History, and Academics
The school also provides comprehensive guidance and support services. There are six guidance counselors serving the student population, offering personalized attention to juniors and seniors as they navigate the college admissions process. Hunter students win many honors and awards during their high school careers, including numerous scholastic writing awards. Hunter wins approximately 23% of all New York State Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. 74 members of the Class of 2013 (38%) were National Merit or National Achievement Scholarship Semifinalists. Of particular fame are the winners of the Regeneron Science Talent Search (formerly Intel and Westinghouse STS), of which Hunter has had four.
Hunter College High School is known for encouraging girls in science and math. It's not unusual to see plenty of girls in classes typically dominated by boys, such as computer science and physics. Female faculty members serve as mentors and are skilled at finding opportunities for both boys and girls outside school--working in a lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center or organizing a team to take part in an international math competition like Purple Comets.
Extracurricular Activities: A World of Opportunities
Hunter College High School offers a wide array of extracurricular and co-curricular opportunities, allowing students to develop and pursue their passions both inside and outside the classroom. The school's clubs and organizations are all student-run, with faculty members serving as advisors.
Students can further pursue their academic interests through activities such as:
- National Economics Challenge
- Hunter United Nations Society
- Fed Challenge (economics)
- Mock Trial
- Debate Team
- Math Team
- Hunter Chess and Go Teams
- Quiz bowl
- Science Bowl
- History Bowl
- FIRST Robotics
- Washington Seminar
The Hunter Economics and Finance team has become one of the top economics teams in the country, repeatedly sweeping NEC states in all divisions. The Hunter Chess Team has won numerous tournaments and championships. The Washington Seminar on Government in Action provides students with the opportunity to research public policy issues, meet with public figures in Washington, D.C., and engage in discussions regarding their researched issue. The Mock Trial team was the top team from New York City in 2015 and the top team in the state in 2022. The debate team is completely student run and is nationally recognized and attends various tournaments throughout the year including tournaments at universities such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
Athletic opportunities at Hunter include fencing and lacrosse. In the winter of 2006, the boys' fencing team won the PSAL city championship for the second year in a row. In 2011, both the Boys' and Girls' varsity lacrosse teams won the PSAL Bowl Division Championships.
School Culture and Traditions
Hunter College High School fosters a strong sense of community through various social events and traditions:
- Spirit Week: A week in October with daily activities centered around a theme designated by the General Organization (G.O.).
- Spirit Day: A Spirit Week event where the entire high school community travels to Bear Mountain.
- Homecoming: A day in December when alumni return to the school to visit current students.
- G.O. Breakfast: A morning prior to midterms where the G.O. organizes a breakfast of donuts, coffee, and hot cocoa.
- Senior Walkout: Carried out on the first day of snowfall.
- Carnival: An end-of-year event.
- Senior Week: Traditionally the week after Carnival and before graduation.
- Senior Tea: A Senior Week event where the senior class reflects upon their time at Hunter in their seventh-grade class sections.
- "Intel Trip": A trip run by the Hunter Science department that takes students to Washington D.C.
- Prom: A formal event with a sit-down dinner, followed by an after-party.
- Lower-Termer Dances: Annual dances for seventh and eighth graders, including Valentine's Day and Halloween dances.
Notable Alumni
Hunter College High School has produced a remarkable array of accomplished alumni who have made significant contributions in various fields. These include Tony-Award-winning playwrights, a Major League Baseball general manager, and a Supreme Court justice. Other notable alumni include:
- Charles Ardai (class of 1987) - founder and CEO, Juno; managing director, D.E. Shaw & Co.
- Marie Maynard Daly - first African-American to receive a Ph.D. from Columbia University; first black woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D.
- Judy Lewent (class of 1966) - director of Dell, GlaxoSmithKline, Motorola and MIT and former Exec. VP and CFO of Merck & Co., Inc.
- Chris Hayes - Author and Alumnus
Hunter alumnae/i often express that the academic preparation they received at Hunter set the table for their future success. They also speak of teachers who provided life-long inspiration and friendships that have been the strongest and most important of their lives.
Addressing Challenges and Embracing Diversity
Hunter College High School acknowledges the importance of diversity and inclusion within its student body. While the school has largely avoided the intense debate surrounding diversity at specialized high schools in New York City, it remains committed to fostering an inclusive environment. The PTA champions diversity and promotes appreciation and harmony among its many identities.
The Mosaic (K-12) committee focuses on supporting an inclusive environment at HCCS, holding space for difficult conversations to increase mutual understanding and foster a sense of community within the school and in the greater society.
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