Prospective Students & Families

Dear Prospective Families,

This section of the website provides a glance at what makes Hamilton Grange Middle School such a unique and special place. It provides an overview of our approach to academics, arts, and athletics, as well as providing a summary of the awards and accolades we’ve received, and a look at how to apply to our school. Make sure to browse each section to learn about all of the wonderful things our kids are engaged in each day. 

Please learn more about us by first watching this video before you explore the rest of this section, and once you’ve done that, do not hesitate to reach out to us using the directory found in this section, or explore the section for Current Students and Families if you have any lingering questions.

Looking forward to meeting you!

In Unity,

Benjamin Lev

Founding Principal

A Letter From the Principal

Academics, Arts & Athletics

Middle school, or roughly the ages of 11-15 years old, are the second largest period of growth in our lives (after 0-3 years of age), and the most pivotal in the creation of our identity and future selves. It is the time when we gradually begin our search for who we are as an individual, outside of our relationship with family and all that they value. Cognitive scientists tell us that the things we fall in love with during this stage of development - the books we read, the activities we engage in, the music we listen to - become indelibly etched in our brain, and continue to be the things we love as adults. Middle school provides an incredible window of opportunity, it is a time when kids are often fearless, willing to try out different activities, and try on different identities.

At Hamilton Grange, we capitalize on this window of opportunity and provide students with many different ways to get involved, meet new people, craft their identity and find the passions that they will carry into adulthood.

Here is a description of all of the different classes, clubs, and teams of which students can be a part: Classes, Clubs, and Teams: Academics, Arts, and Athletics.

  • New York State Reward School for Progress, 2017-2018: Our students made more progress on their state exams than any other middle school in New York State!

  • Teach for America School To Learn From 

    • 1 of just 4 in the entire United States!

    • We hosted educators from twenty-five different states and three different countries as part of our commitment to paying our learning forward

  • NYC Showcase School

    • 2017 - 2019

    • We hosted educators from throughout the City to teach them how we redefine discipline in our school by teaching behavior rather than relying on detentions and suspensions

  • NYC Respect for All School

    • 2018

    • The superintendent recognized us as a school excelling in keeping students safe

  • Bellwether Education 

    • 2021

    • Bellwether recognized us as one of just twelve schools across the country for our “Promising Practices In Online Learning” during the pandemic

  • NYC Middle School Athletic League City Semifinalist (Final Four)

    • 2019 Boys Soccer

    • 2023 JV Boys Basketball

    • 2024 Varsity Boys Basketball

    • 2024 Coed Tennis

  • Borough of Manhattan Champions

    • 2022 Fencing

    • 2023 Fencing

    • 2023 JV Boys Basketball

    • 2024 Varsity Boys Basketball

  • Upper Manhattan Champions

    • 2023 Girls Varsity Basketball (Borough of Manhattan Runner Up)

    • 2024 Girls Varsity Basketball (Borough of Manhattan Runner Up)

  • NYC Urban Debate League

    • 2024 City Championship - Top Team, Novice Division

    • 2024 Top Speaker, 2nd Place Citywide, Advanced Division

  • NYC Thespian Society’s One Act Play Festival. 

    • 2023 Best Play

    • 2023 Best Student Director

    • Best Comedic Performance

Awards

How to apply - visit the NYC Public Schools page on applying to middle school to learn more about applying to Hamilton Grange

  • Scheduling a tour - can you create a page where there is a contact form that folks can fill out to schedule a tour with us, that goes directly to my email. 

  • MS Fairs - this would be a page where all of the MS fairs are listed - I will send you those dates as soon as they become available 

  • Invite Principal Lev to your school - similar to the scheduling a tour page, this would be a chance for folks to invite me to their school, a form to fill out, and it would go directly to my email

Admissions

Matriculating to High School After Hamilton Grange

50  of our 95 graduates from the class of 2024 gained admission in “selective" NYC high schools, including three at one of the City’s eight specialized high schools (Brooklyn Tech, HS for Math Science and Engineering, Bronx Science), and eighteen at the City’s most competitive, audition-based arts schools (LaGuardia, Talent Unlimited, Repertory HS). 

  • 100% of the HGMS students who attended our summer arts audition program were admitted into a screened school

  • The average graduation rate for the selective schools our students are attending is 99%, with 80% enrolling in college. 

  • For our 2024 graduates that did not apply, or were not admitted to a “Selective” school, the schools they will be attending have an 86% average graduation rate, with 53% enrolling in college.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Do you serve students with disabilities?

    Yes! Our school is a fully inclusive environment, meaning that all of our students, no matter their needs, receive their mandated services in a fully inclusive setting, with students in a general education setting. We do not segregate students based on their disability or learning needs. 

  • Do you serve students learning English as a new language?

    Yes! We serve all of our students learning English as a new language in a fully inclusive environment, meaning that they will take classes alongside native English speakers. 

    • Students learning English as a new language will also benefit from support from a teacher certified to teach multilingual learners in their humanities classroom, and 

    • receive special instruction with other learners of English as a new language as part of the regular school day. 

  • Is Hamilton Grange Safe?

    • We do not rely on detention and or suspension to create a safe and welcoming environment for our students. Rather we teach students behavioral skills using the Collaborative Problem Solving Framework (Ablon and Greene)

    • Instead, we utilize restorative circles as a means of repairing harm and restoring justice to our community, 

    • We wear uniforms and lock up cell phones to create as safe environment as possible during the school day (link to uniform policy and cell phone policy in section for current families) 

    • We have three counselors, one for each grade level

    • Our school has been recognized at a national level as well as a City level for the work we have done to create a safe and welcoming school environment

    • Include information linked from school survey results when it becomes available

  • Do students have recess?

    • Yes! Our students have recess outside on our beautiful field and at our basketball and handball courts as a regular part of their daily schedule

    • Some students choose to visit the library during this time for a more quiet space 

  • Do you have an after school program?

    • Yes! After school programming runs from dismissal to 5:30 p.m. each day. 

    • View the Academics/Arts/Athletics for more detailed information on our after school offerings. 

For those students not engaged in a specific club or activity afterschool, we partner with Play Study Win for daily homework support and general childcare needs until 5:30 p.m.