Fort Hamilton High School

Fort Hamilton High School

Fort Hamilton High School (HS 490) is a public high school in Brooklyn, New York, USA, under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Education. Students in Bay Ridge, Sunset Park and Dyker Heights are zoned to Fort Hamilton HS. It has stood overlooking the Narrows and Lower New York Bay since 1941.

Fort Hamilton can be reached by public transportation. The B16 is the closest public transportation, these buses wait for students at the end of the day, the buses are crowded with excited students and safety becomes a huge concern. However, the safety of the students is not always provided for, and it is difficult to account for these situations since they often occur out of the school's bounds. Other transportation includes the B63 which runs along 5th Avenue, the R train which stops at 4th Avenue and 86th Street and a the B1, B16, S53, S79 and S93, buses to Staten Island and other parts of Brooklyn that stop at 86th Street and 4th Avenue as well.

In the past Fort Hamilton has consistently ranked as one of the most populous high schools, however there has been a decline in the student body: In December 2007 Fort Hamilton had 4539 students, but in February 2010 that number declined to 4198 (cite). This decline is due to reformation on the part of the school’s administration, one notable reformation is the elimination of what proved to be the unsuccessful Computer Science program, which allowed students not zoned to apply to Fort Hamilton HS. Now in order to be admitted if not zoned to Fort Hamilton HS, one must apply and be accepted to either the Honors Academy or The Performing arts program (Instrumental and Vocal).

The building is largely over capacity, thus the need for the school’s shrinking student body. In 2005 “the modules” were complete to accommodate for the excessive student body.

The school hosts many clubs and activities after school, including an arts program and many sports teams. The school offers 13 different Advanced Placement courses and other college courses that are offered for credit through several colleges and universities.