International High School at LaGuardia

The International High School at LaGuardia Community College, founded in 1985, is a public secondary school in Long Island City designed for students who have arrived in the United States within the last four years and are learning English. The school operates on a "Bespoke Curriculum" as a member of the New York State Performance Standards Consortium. Instead of taking traditional state Regents exams, students demonstrate their learning by defending written and oral portfolios in core subjects before a panel of educators. A central feature of the school is its Early College Program. Because the school is located on a college campus, students can enroll in credit-bearing courses at LaGuardia Community College for free while still in high school. Facilities include access to college science labs, gymnasiums, and a dedicated theater for performing arts. This model allows many students to earn significant college credits or even complete a fifth year of study to further their higher education before graduation.