About Us

Preparing for the Future

Emma Lazarus’s student population is comprised of over eighteen different language groups. Our staff, like our students, is multi-cultural and specifically trained to support the needs of second language students.

We offer an English immersion program where all classes are taught in English with built in supports for students in their native languages. Therefore, English becomes the common language for all students and accelerates the learning process. It is our belief that learning should not be specific to the classroom, but should include exposure to outside experiences and activities. We offer a hands-on, rigorous, and dynamic curriculum designed to prepare students for college and the working world.

Students also take frequent trips outside the classroom, to help them acquire English and learn more about their adopted city and country. Our programs not only support content development, but support all of our students, and families, in their acculturation and allows all to learn through experience.

Students at Emma Lazarus will graduate with skill sets that uniquely prepare them for our 21st century technological and international society.

welcome to elhs!

Our Mission; To provide a safe, secure and academically rigorous environment and program to second language students. Graduating students will be bilingual and uniquely qualified to enter institutions of higher learning, the global economy and the world of work.

Emma Lazarus High school offers a unique program for students who are second language learners. Our programs are designed to support diverse, older students learning English as they complete their high school studies, while also preparing them to enter institutions of higher learning.

Technology is infused into every aspect of the classroom: students and teachers have personal laptops, and we use equipment such as iPads, video cameras, audio recorders, and professional software on a daily basis.

We are very excited to announce that Emma Lazarus High School has been named the #1 High School in the United States of America for low-income students and #20 in America's Top High Schools in 2014 by Newsweek magazine!

Educational Components

  • English Immersion
  • College Credit-bearing Courses
  • Individual Student Laptops
  • College Preparatory Courses
  • Advanced & Regents Diplomas Awarded
  • 18+ Languages Spoken on Site
  • High College Acceptance Rate
  • Small Class Sizes
  • Technology-integrated Curriculum
  • Intimate Student Population of 315
  • Free Meals & Transportation
  • Free Educational Trips
  • Paid Internships

Programs & Extracurriculars

  • National Honor Society
  • College Now/City University Partnership
  • Advisory classes
  • Learning to Work Program
  • Student Mentoring
  • Arts & Theatre classes
  • PM School & Summer Course Offerings
  • Student Government
  • Job-readiness Seminars & Trainings

Learning to Work Program

The Learning to Work (LTW) Program at Emma Lazarus High School is a partnership with the NYC Mission Society that provides assistance in the educational and professional development of Emma Lazarus students. The program provides subsidized internships for a minimum of 10 hours per week at internship sites in public, private and non-profit sectors. 

The goals of the LTW Program are to help students: 
  • Expand their knowledge of career options
  • Learn how to use their current educational, employment and internship activities as building blocks for achieving longer-term goals
  • Develop work readiness skills
  • Improve educational achievement
The Supported Internship Experience provides students with an opportunity to build workplace skills and enhance career exploration through work-based learning that is specific to their interests. Some of our internship sites this year include the NYC District Attorney's Office,  art studios, architecture firms, hospitals, schools, libraries, day care centers, recreation centers, and local community-based organizations. 
 
All student participants in the internship program are required to take part in weekly seminars devoted to maximizing the student's capacity to use the internship as a learning experience and to see it as a step in a career ladder leading to further education, training, and employment.

Contact Us

Emma Lazarus High School
Michael Giovacchini, Principal
100 Hester Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 925-5017

Subway: B, D to Grand Street; F to East Broadway

Bus: M15 to Hester & Allen Streets; M103 to Grand Street & Bowery