New York City Public Schools and XQ have been working together since 2019 to rethink what high school looks like for the nation’s largest school system. What started as a school design initiative has evolved into a broader partnership that spans career-connected learning at scale through FutureReadyNYC, the design and launch of innovative new schools through Imagine NYC Schools, and the development of school leaders prepared to build something different.
FutureReadyNYC
FutureReadyNYC is a signature initiative that supports schools across the city in preparing students to graduate with a strong academic foundation, a personalized postsecondary plan, and the critical skills, experiences, and credentials needed to pursue rewarding careers and long-term economic security. Launched in 2022, FutureReadyNYC has grown from 34 to 179 high schools, reaching over 15,000 students.
The program is organized around five core components that span all four years of high school: personalized advising to develop a career plan, financial literacy coursework, early college credits and industry-recognized credentials, paid work-based learning through pathway-aligned internships, and career-connected instruction in high-wage, high-growth fields. By 2030, the FutureReady program aims to reach 100,000 students across all five boroughs.
Building Principal Capacity
In partnership with Bank Street College of Education, the Principal Innovation Fellowship empowers high school leaders to redesign their schools around career-connected learning. Fellows develop a two-year roadmap for school change, with Bank Street and NYCPS tracking outcomes including shifts in teacher practice, student engagement, postsecondary readiness, and student voice and family involvement.
Leading State Efforts for Improvement
FutureReadyNYC is also supporting the district in preparing for New York State’s upcoming graduation requirement changes under NY Inspires, which will phase out Regents exam requirements beginning in 2027-28 and introduce a new Portrait of a Graduate emphasizing competencies like critical thinking, effective communication, and being reflective and future-focused—competencies and durable skills already embedded in the XQ Learner Outcomes and FutureReadyNYC’s design.
HBCU Early College Prep
In September 2025, New York City Public Schools opened HBCU Early College Prep in Jamaica, Queens—the first school of its kind in a city without a single HBCU. Through a partnership with Delaware State University, students can earn up to 64 college credits toward an associate degree in Liberal Arts while in high school, at no cost to families.
Led by founding principal Dr. Asya Johnson, HBCU Early College Prep welcomed its inaugural class of 125 ninth graders, selected from more than 1,000 applicants. The school’s structure draws on the traditions of historically Black colleges—including Greek life, Homecoming, and Founder’s Day activities—while providing a rigorous college-prep curriculum with DSU faculty instruction beginning in students’ junior year. Graduates receive automatic admission to Delaware State University.
HBCU Early College Prep is a FutureReadyNYC school, connecting its students to the broader career-connected learning infrastructure across the city.
Imagine NYC Schools
Through Imagine NYC Schools, New York City Public Schools and XQ identified five schools and one STEM collaborative to design and launch between 2022 and 2025. These schools continue to operate and serve students across the five boroughs:
Gotham Tech — Anchored in the critical thinking, collaboration, and joy of robotics through its partnership with NYC FIRST, Gotham Tech applies a challenge-based learning framework across all subjects. Located in Queens, it opened with its first class of 9th graders in fall 2022.
A School Without Walls — Developed with Outward Bound, School Without Walls centers on students’ intellectual and creative growth through project-based learning, inquiry, internships, and civic engagement. It opened in fall 2022.
Design Works High School — A partnership between Bank Street College and Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, Design Works applies design thinking to complex social problems. Students access apprenticeships, community partnerships, and college coursework. It opened in fall 2023.
The Bronx Science Research Partnership (BSRP) — A collaborative of Bronx high schools built around expanding access to advanced science research, in partnership with the Bronx High School of Science and local research organizations.
Thomas A. Edison CTE High School — A large comprehensive CTE school in Queens serving approximately 2,335 students, Edison is building a co-op model where teachers and students co-design curricula reflecting modern workplaces. Edison is also an anchor school in FutureReadyNYC.
Brooklyn STEAM Center — Located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn STEAM serves 11th and 12th graders from eight Brooklyn high schools across five NYSED-approved CTE pathways: Computer Science and IT, Construction Technology, Culinary Arts and Hospitality, Design and Engineering, and Film and Media. Each pathway includes industry-approved curriculum, work-based learning, internships, and stackable credentials.
Bronx STEAM Center — In partnership with Montefiore Medical Center, New York City Public Schools launched a second STEAM Center in the Bronx. Bronx STEAM Center serves 11th and 12th grade students from ten partner schools and offers three pathways: Certified Nursing Assistant, Certified Medical Assisting, and Cybersecurity. Similar to the flagship model, Bronx STEAM Center provides industry-aligned experiences, work-based learning opportunities, personalized college and career advising, and access to early college credits.
While the Imagine NYC Schools initiative is concluding, the schools it helped launch and redesign continue to serve as proof points for what’s possible in public high school—whether it’s a redesigned transcript at A School Without Walls, rigorous coursework with durable skills at Edison’s R&D Center, or strong community partnerships that expand student learning with industry partners at Gotham Tech and the STEAM Centers. These schools offer concrete, replicable models for any district rethinking what high school can look like.
New School Leader Fellowship
The New School Leader Fellowship (NSLF), led by the NYCPS Office of New School Development and Design in collaboration with XQ, provides founding principals with a yearlong experience that blends theory and practice to design innovative, community-based schools. Through cohort-wide design sessions, school visits, and individualized coaching, fellows engage with XQ’s Design Principles and learner outcomes to build school models grounded in equity, student voice, and community-driven design. The fellowship is supported by partners including New Leaders, Transcend, and Education Resource Strategies.
A Changing State Landscape
In 2024, New York state leaders announced a bold initiative to reimagine the state’s diploma requirements for high school students. At the center of the state’s vision is a new Portrait of a Graduate that encompasses the essential skills, knowledge, mindsets, and attributes needed for success in college and careers. Under the proposed graduation requirements, which will come into effect over the next few years, students will need to demonstrate competency in each of the seven components of the Portrait in order to earn a diploma.
The new Portrait will also guide local high school redesign efforts, including the Imagine NYC Schools and FutureReadyNYC initiatives currently being undertaken by New York City Public Schools in partnership with XQ Institute. These initiatives engage students, teachers, families, and community members to design high school models that prepare every student for a range of postsecondary options and opportunities.
To learn more about New York State’s policy actions or XQ’s national high school policy report, visit policyactions.xqinstitute.org.
