Summit School (Queens)

According to a section of New York Magazine in late 2003, the school had the highest amount of student admission forms received—more than 1,000—in the city among the leading "special schools for special kids", with only 35 spaces available.[7]

Students attending the school are in grades 3-12, who have average to above average IQs, but mild learning disabilities, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, high-functioning autism, dyslexia, Tourette syndrome, or other specific learning challenges. The school employs a faculty of 150 professionals, including a student to teacher-assistant to teacher ratio of 12 to 1.5 to 1,[8] and a staff of social workers, speech and occupational therapists, reading specialists, and 1 to 1 aides as needed. They "focus on the academic, social, emotional, and prevocational development of each child"[11] by providing full therapeutic support in the classroom, as well as in individual and small group settings.[8]

When assigning students into their homeroom classes, "age, IQ range, [written] language facility, management needs, prior friendships, and personality traits [are taken into consideration]".[9] English and mathematics vary considerably in classroom size from 3-12 students depending on their learning style; these subjects are taught strategy-based and through hands-on learning with manipulatives in place.[6] Other courses taught at the school are history, science, world languages, art, music, computers, swimming instruction, and physical education.[6][11][12][13]

Summit administers a schoolwide positive behavior support (PBS)[8] and contingency contracting program that is reinforced through the use of point cards, a daily index card students receive entailing their individualized contract—or behavioral goal—and marked scorings for "On Time", "In Area", "Work", "Homework", "Behavior", and "Contract" during each period. Students who maintain consistently high points receive approval into the school's Honor Code program in which they have the opportunity to participate in specialized day trips and outings. The Lower School also implements a prize-based contingency management program with a school store in place where students can select prizes based on the number of points they earn.

High school students participate in a work-based learning program;[14] they work as interns at businesses involved in the program. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are assigned to work in the morning once per week where they are given ongoing support from their job coaches, while seniors choose their placement sites, travel independently, and work the entire school day on Fridays.[15][16] The guidance counselor also helps students discover potential career aspirations and assists with their future college planning or other post-secondary endeavors.[17]

In addition to Richard Sitman being the executive director, Nancy Morgenroth is the director of admissions and speech and language services, with Tina Rosenbaum, Ed.D. as director of educational services by coordinating the curriculum and classroom placements.[1]

Former Upper School clinic director Allison Edwards is presently the principal, and Karen Frigenti has the same latter position in the Lower School.[1] Long-served Lower School clinic director Sherri Bordoff moved to the Upper School and currently oversees their clinical faculty, with Lacy Ostrander, who was a social worker in the Lower School for a number of years, taking over her prior role as senior social worker. Tara Caprdja has been the director of the Upper School's work-based learning program since 2019.[1]

Parents are required to fill out an application form, provide their childs' individualized education plan, neurological and psychological evaluations, social history, current report card, school transcript and prior records, as well as "any other relevant material that will add to [the school's] understanding of the applicant."[18]

Appointments are also scheduled to visit the school, which are overseen by the admissions director. If the student is not accepted into the school, the admissions director will refer them to different schools. For the students who are accepted, their parents are obligated to sign a contract for "approval of funding from the New York City Department of Education or [their] local school district."[18]

The Summit Sun, currently published every other Friday, is the school's official newspaper.[20] The paper was founded in January 2010, and is primarily student organized, which discusses school activities, sports, current events, and opinion pieces.[21]