The Bay Academy is located in Sheepshead Bay

Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn

Sheepshead Bay is a bay separating the mainland of Brooklyn, New York City from the eastern portion of Coney Island, the latter originally a barrier island but now effectively an extension of the mainland with peninsulas both east and west...

, Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, New York. Formerly known as the Reynolds Junior High School, it is a magnet school

Magnet school

In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...

 that offers courses in a wide range of disciplines, including creative writing, art, drama, math/computers, science, and music, featuring wind instruments, stringed instruments, and vocals. Admission into Bay Academy is selective. Applicants are required to take two "talent tests" and must be from School District 21. In the 2008-2009 academic year, the school had an enrollment of 1,051.

Alumni have gone to prestigious high schools, such as Midwood High School

Midwood High School

Midwood High School, at Brooklyn College, is a public, urban, co-ed high school located on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City.Midwood High School was for many years the recipient of multiple accolades because of its competitive educational programs and for the achievements of its students...

, Edward R. Murrow High School

Edward R. Murrow High School

Edward R. Murrow High School, is located in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York and is part of the New York City Department of Education....

, and The Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences

The Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences

The Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY, formerly Kingsborough High School for the Sciences is a four year high school , located in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, New York. Leon M...

, as well as specialized high schools such as Stuyvesant High School

Stuyvesant High School

Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...

 and Brooklyn Technical High School

Brooklyn Technical High School

Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech or just Tech, and also administratively as High School 430, is a New York City public high school that specializes in engineering, math and science and is the largest specialized high school for science, technology, engineering, and...

.

Admissions changes

The Bay Academy formerly accepted students from across the city. With the resignation of Marian Nagler and the ascension of Maria Timo as principal, however, students are no longer accepted from other districts. The graduating class of 2011 is the last with students from outside District 21. Admissions still require two rigorous "talent exams," with the talent being the student's choice.

Teacher-parent communication

Implemented during the 2009-2010 school year, Edline

Edline

Edline is a Learning Community Management System that many schools use for school and class organization. It provides district, school and classroom level website support for administrators, parents, teachers and students from kindergarten through 12th grade...

 is a tool used by teachers and administrators to inform parents about students' progress in terms of grades, homework, and classwork.

Talents

Talents are specialized classes, determined by a student's entrance exam. They include creative writing, science, math/computers, dance, athletics, art, wind instruments, stringed instruments, drama, and vocals.

Foreign languages

As part of Maria Timo's changes to the school, Spanish, French, and Italian have been replaced by Latin.

Special programs

The Bay Academy offers a wide range of special classes, including Regents-level courses in biology and integrated algebra, as well as several programs intended to give students valuable life skills, such as the Stock Market Game

Stock market simulator

A stock market simulator is a program or application that attempts to reproduce or duplicate some or all features of a live stock market on a computer so that a player may practice trading stocks without financial risk.- Types :...

. Additionally, the school takes part in the national Arista/Archon honors society, with students having the opportunity to join the society upon passing certain requirements.

Performances

Hosted by the Parent-Teacher Association, the Bay Academy has various shows throughout the school year. These include an annual Winter Concert, with students singing various Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa songs, a Spring Concert, and a Talent Show. There are also several dance performances, such as the Nutcracker Ballet.