[6] Of the students, 49% are black, 27% are Asian, 18% are Latino, 9% are white, 9% are American Indian, and 2% are Pacific Islander.

In 1952, the New York City Board of Education approved the construction of a new high school at 229th Street and Hillside Avenue.

[10] The budget was increased again to $6,000,000 (equivalent to $68,800,000 in 2023),[11] making it the costliest school in New York City at the time.

[12] The school was designed by Eliot B. Willauer of the notable architectural firm Eggers & Higgins, architects on the Jefferson Memorial, as part of the Board of Education's half-billion dollar post-World War II expansion program.

[18] This is a partial list of notable alumni of Martin Van Buren High School.