A look at what the Hamilton Heights School (PS 368/M 368) in New York City was. (Revisited)

Hamilton Heights School is one of the many forgotten schools of New York City. This news article will give a little background on what this school was. This school is not to be confused with the college of the same name that had once occupied their building.


Hamilton Heights School was established and opened in what was once formally a middle school called Malcolm X Academy. Hamilton Heights School was established and opened as an elementary school in 1998 by the New York City Department of Education. Hamilton Heights School operated as a PK-5 school with students enrolled in pre-kindergarden to 5th grade.

Members of the School Support Organization were Tom Wood, Rhea Owusu-Afriyie, Joanne Joyner-Wells and Brenda Steele. Alva Buxenbaum served as its principal for many years. (Ref: https://web.archive.org/web/20091121214250/http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/06/M368/default.htm)


However Hamilton Heights School did not operate without any problems or political controversies. Because Hamilton Heights School was an inner city school, violence was a commodity on a daily basis. So were low test schools and achieving performance.

City schools officials from New York City Department of Education pointed out that 13 schools on the "dangerous schools" list educate children with behavioral and emotional problems in 2007. Hamilton Heights School was one of those schools. 6 violent incidents occur for every 100 students over 2 years at Hamilton Heights School. PS 169, PS 36, and PS 368 were added to the list after the state discovered they had underreported violence, which is required under the federal "No Child Left Behind Act". (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/409896028/)

[The City Education Department also quibbled with how the state defines "dangerous schools," noting the designation is made using school data rather than NYPD stats. City schools officials pointed out that 13 schools on the "dangerous schools" list educate children with behavioral and emotional problems. "We will provide teachers and students at these schools with the tools and strategies necessary to create a culture of order, respect and accountability," said city Education Department spokeswoman Dina Paul Parks. A school is typically considered "persistently dangerous" if approximately six violent incidents occur for every 100 students over two years. When a school is added to the list, which is required under the federal "No Child Left Behind" act, students have the option to transfer to another school, and the "dangerous" school is given $100,000 to create an action plan. Mills stressed that New York is more vigorous than most states in designating schools. He pointed out that three city schools PS 169, PS 36, and PS 368 were added to the list after the state discovered they had underreported violence. He said only six states named any schools to the list last year. ]

Nearly 50 of students opted out of taking the state standardized Common Core tests at Hamilton Heights Elementary School in 2014 after parents and guardians complained to New York City Department of Education officials. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/584232575/)

[In Manhattan, nearly 50 of students opted out at Hamilton Heights Elementary School and 75 didn't take the tests at the Institute for Collaborative Education, said Jane Hirschmann of Time Out From Testing. The number of students in the third to eighth grades who withdrew from the statewide English Language Arts tests was unclear because the Education Department didn't respond to requests for exact numbers or for comment. But City Councilman Daniel Dromm, chairman of the education committee, estimated 1,000 students refused to take the test - more than quadrupling last year's total of 276. He said two other students opted out with Spike at PS 69. There are no official consequences for Parents.]


For whatever the reason/reasons may have been, Hamilton Heights School shut down and relocated to the address of 1750 Amsterdam Avenue where PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. School is specifically in September of 2017.

Hamilton Heights School now operates as a PK-5 school on the same campus as PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. School. Hamilton Heights School continues to operate as a PK-5 school in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood of New York City. (Ref: https://www.hamiltonheightsschool.org/)


Hamilton Heights School was located at 508 West 153rd Street, New York City, New York, US 10031. Their postal address was 508 W 153rd St, New York, NY 10031-1001.