Franklin K. Lane High School

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Franklin K. Lane High School is a secondary school in New York City, United States. The school is administered by the New York City Department of Education.

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[edit] Location

The campus is located in Brooklyn near the top of a fairly steep hill at the corner of Dexter Court and Jamaica Avenue. The school is named for Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson.

The county line separating Kings (Brooklyn) and Queens counties divides the school in half, running along Eldert Lane from Atlantic Avenue, through the school and the cemetery behind it.

The boys' large gymnasium is named for 1938 alumnus William "Red" Holzman. The library is named for Sam Levenson, another alumnus, Class of 1930.

[edit] Information

Franklin K. Lane High School in its current building, was at the time it was built, one of the largest high school buildings in the world. Each of the four floors is one-quarter mile; walking four times around one floor equals one mile.

The current building was a project of the WPA during the Roosevelt Administration. The building sits in the middle of a grouping of cemeteries that are themselves quite historic. Houdini is buried behind the school. His grave can be seen from the school library. Mae West is buried near the school as well.

During the 1970s, Franklin K. Lane High School fell on hard times. In 1974 Judge John Dooling of the Federal Court's Southern District of New York ruled that education at the school was inferior and ruled that the school was to be redistricted and redesigned. The "new" Franklin K. Lane opened in September 1976 with a 50% white, 50% minority population.

For a number of years the school thrived. The population became the largest of all New York City High Schools by 1981. To some the redesigned school was known as The Miracle on Jamaica Avenue.

[edit] Demographics

Ethnic Group Percentage
Hispanics 58%
Blacks 29%
Asians 9%
Whites 3%
Native Americans 1%

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] References

[edit] External links

v • d • e
New York City Department of Education
Region 5
High schools Lane High School
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