Fort Hamilton High School, Brooklyn NY

Original Research by School Decision on Fort Hamilton High School

Fort Hamilton High School serves a large enrollment of students across four grades in Bay Ridge, a neighborhood in the southwestern corner of Brooklyn. The school sits in a residential and commercial area near the waterfront, anchored by solid housing stock and straightforward transit access.

The student body is substantially diverse by race and ethnicity, with white, Hispanic, and Asian students each making up a notable share of enrollment, and a much smaller population of Black students. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of many families the school serves. Data on English learner enrollment and students with individualized education programs was not available.

State testing data was not available for this school, so we could not assess proficiency or trends in academic outcomes. A graduation rate was also not reported in the data we reviewed. Without these metrics, a parent looking into Fort Hamilton would need to request this information directly from the school or the New York City Department of Education to understand how students perform on state assessments or whether they complete their diplomas on time. These gaps make it difficult to characterize academic performance based on the evidence at hand.

The school is part of Geographic District 20, which covers Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Borough Park, and part of Sunset Park. The district itself has undergone significant change in recent years. Most notably, the district dramatically expanded academically screened middle school programs starting in 2023, becoming the city's leading user of selective screening for middle school admissions. This shift shapes how families in the area navigate the path from elementary to middle school. Additionally, three new public schools opened in the district in fall 2024 to address long-standing overcrowding, adding new elementary and middle school capacity and specialized programs like medical and STEAM pathways.

The neighborhood surrounding Fort Hamilton is part of Brooklyn's active housing market. Home values in the broader 11209 zip code are well above the state benchmark and have appreciated steadily. Rental prices have also climbed, reflecting broader demand. The area blends residential streets with commercial corridors along Fifth and Eighth Avenues, offering walkable access to shops, restaurants, and services. Transit is accessible through multiple subway lines, and the neighborhood maintains a mix of family-oriented and working residential character.

Fort Hamilton's enrollment is substantial for a high school in New York City. The student population remains roughly stable across grade levels, suggesting the school retains students through to graduation, though without a reported graduation rate it is unclear how many students complete the program on time. Specific program offerings, course access data, and staffing information were not available in the records reviewed. A parent considering Fort Hamilton would want to contact the school directly to learn about course breadth, extracurricular options, and any specialized programs or pathways the school may offer.

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Academic performance

How students graduate and prepare for what comes next.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

81.0%Cohort of 1,115 students · Class of 2021

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,253 schools plotted. 14 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Advanced Placement & IB

23 subjects offered · 2023-24

Each card is one AP or IB subject. The headline number is the share of students scoring 3 or higher on the exam — the threshold for college credit at most universities. The bar below each rate shows the underlying distribution across performance levels.

Score:12· no credit345· extremely well qualified

Math and Computer Science

Calculus AB

88 tested

55.7%

scored 3 or higher

Calculus BC

51 tested

80.4%

scored 3 or higher

Computer Science Principles

32 tested · Grade 10

68.8%

scored 3 or higher

Statistics

81 tested

61.7%

scored 3 or higher

Sciences

Biology

66 tested

75.8%

scored 3 or higher

Chemistry

54 tested · Grade 10

90.7%

scored 3 or higher

Environmental Science

25 tested · Grade 10

84.0%

scored 3 or higher

Physics 1

6 tested

66.7%

scored 3 or higher

Physics 2

28 tested

89.3%

scored 3 or higher

Physics C: Mechanics

4 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

English

Research

1 tested · Grade 10

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

History and Social Sciences

Comparative Government and Politics

240 tested

73.8%

scored 3 or higher

Human Geography

76 tested · Grade 10

27.6%

scored 3 or higher

Psychology

171 tested

62.6%

scored 3 or higher

U.S. History

167 tested

91.0%

scored 3 or higher

World Languages and Cultures

Chinese Language and Culture

31 tested · Grade 10

74.2%

scored 3 or higher

Spanish Language and Culture

30 tested

83.3%

scored 3 or higher

Arts

Studio Art Drawing

2 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Other

Language and Comp

69 tested

87.0%

scored 3 or higher

Literature and Comp

91 tested

97.8%

scored 3 or higher

Studio Art 2d Design

20 tested · Grade 10

75.0%

scored 3 or higher

U S Government and Politics

241 tested

74.3%

scored 3 or higher

World History

170 tested · Grade 10

74.7%

scored 3 or higher

New York Regents Exams

4 courses reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Ela	1,186	78.0%
Social Studies	1,024	79.0%
Math	1,004	44.0%
Science	457	77.0%

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.