Brooklyn Latin School

The Brooklyn Latin School
To whom much has been given, from him much will be expected.
Address
223 Graham Avenue Brooklyn, NY United States
Information
Type	Public, magnet school, secondary school, specialized high school
Established	2006
Headmaster	Gina Mautschke
Faculty	37
Grades	9-12
Number of students	562
Color(s)	Purple and white
Mascot	Titans
Newspaper	The Brooklyn Latineer
Website	brooklynlatin.org

The Brooklyn Latin School is a specialized high school in New York City, founded in 2006.

The ideals governing Brooklyn Latin are borrowed largely from the Boston Latin School, and popular society's ideals. John Elwell, the school's founder, and Jason Griffiths, administer and monitor the school. As of 2013, Jason Griffiths had left the school to lead a troubled high school in New York. The new headmaster is previous math teacher Gina Mauschke.

Since Brooklyn Latin is a specialized high school, one must pass the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) in order to be admitted to the school. It is the second specialized high school in Brooklyn (along with Brooklyn Technical High School) and has the distinction of being the only specialized high school in which students adhere to a school uniform. The school color, purple, reflects the preference of Roman nobility, who wore robes dyed in that color and is also the school color of the Boston Latin School, another borrowed trait.

The school spent its first six years at 325 Bushwick Avenue, in limited space. In 2013 it moved to 223 Graham Avenue, not far from the previous school. The Brooklyn Latin School considers this a step up from its previous facility, since there is more space, including a much larger gym, which enhances the general feeling of a true high school.

Unlike nearly all other specialized high schools, Brooklyn Latin has a strong focus on the humanities and classics. All students are required to take four years of English, History, Latin and a modern foreign language. The Brooklyn Latin School is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school and offers the IB Diploma and its mandatory classes. All classes regularly hold Socratic Seminars, in which students lead roundtable question-and-answer discussions, and all students take part in declamation (public speaking) exercises.

In disciplines such as English and History, there is a focus on classical studies, and all students receive a grounding in literary and historical traditions before graduating. Latin instruction begins during the first year and continues throughout.

The Brooklyn Latin School is the only specialized high school in New York City that has implemented the IB Diploma Programme. The mission of International Baccalaureate aligns with and expands the vision of the Brooklyn Latin School. In particular, IB has translated its mission into a Learner Profile of ten characteristics (inquiring, thoughtful, expressive, knowledgeable, principled, open-minded, caring, balanced, risk-taking and reflective) that reflect the ideals of personal responsibility and moral integrity on which the Brooklyn Latin School was founded.