JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL

JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL operates as a well-populated 9-12 campus in BROOKLYN, New York, operated by NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #21. Current enrollment sits at 2,209 students spanning grades 9 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 668 students per school, that is 231% larger than typical.

Within NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #21, which oversees 40 schools and 33,610 students, JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL lists that the most-represented group is Asian (29%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school logs 27% Hispanic, 24% White, 16% Black, 2% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 12% Asian, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Asian than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL records 163 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.5:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 11.0:1 average. Around 89% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Kings County (around 79%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 42.4%; this one delivers 53.5%.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Kings County) records that the typical household earns roughly $80,263 per year, about 42% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 15%. In all, Kings County runs 583 public schools (combined enrollment of about 291,697 students), of which JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL is one.

The closest other public school is PS 721 BROOKLYN OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING CENTER, roughly 0.0 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL ranks 4th on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 52.2%.

The school occupies a city-core site.

Looking at the recent track record. JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL's enrollment has fell 4% since 2018, when it stood at 2,294 (now 2,209). The Black share of enrollment edged down from 32% to 16% over that span. Class-load math has pulled in: from 17.8:1 in 2018 to 13.5:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the feed for JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL typically covers open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.