Intermediate School 318 (I.S. 318)
The Eugenio Maria de Hostos School, also known as Intermediate School 318 (frequently abbreviated to I.S. 318), is part of the New York City public school system and is located in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. The school enrolls 1,615 students in grades six through nine and has 134 teachers on staff. Brooklyn Castle follows a group of students who belong to the school's highly ranked chess team. 87 percent of students on the team come from families that live below the poverty line (in New York, that is $22,000 for a family of four).
About one third of the students at I.S. 318 participate in at least one of a variety of afterschool programs, ranging from student government and band to robotics and dance. The city of New York contributes $20,000 each year to I.S. 318 for afterschool funding. The chess program, which includes afterschool classes with masters and travels to tournaments, costs the school $60,000.
Attendance at I.S. 318 was recently recorded at 95 percent, and the enrollment rate for gifted and talented is 43 percent. The school is open to all children in the district, and admissions are based on report cards and teacher recommendations rather than on test scores.
Sources:
» Brooklyn Castle. "Back to School and Battling the Budget with I.S. 318."
» Inside Schools. "I.S. 318 Eugenio Maria De Hostos."
» IS 318 Chess Team."Help the Team."
» ProPublica. "The Opportunity Gap: IS 318 Eugenio Maria De Hostos."