Admission to MHS is based on selective criteria including a middle school GPA of 90 or above, attendance, and state test scores in reading and math.

Madelyn Wils, as chair of Manhattan Community Board 1, led an effort raising $16 million to build the school and coordinated planning and site construction.

Additional funding included a $500,000 grant from New Visions for Public Schools with money donated from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and contributions from the Carnegie Corporation and the Open Society Institute.

School site development was also made possible with several million dollars worth of grants from the federal government in 2003 as part of an effort to revitalize the lower Manhattan area following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The school has a partnership with the YMCA of Greater New York, and provides numerous extracurricular offerings, sports organizations, and other activities for the students.

[8][9] The Public Schools Athletic League sports offered (as John Jay Campus) are: baseball, basketball, cross country, fencing, flag football, indoor and outdoor track, soccer, softball, stunt, swimming, table tennis, and volleyball.

He announced on February 16, 2012, that he would step down from his position after June 2012 to become principal at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, NY.

Formerly a Peace Corps volunteer in Estonia, where he taught English as a second language, he received a master's degree at Columbia University Teachers College.

Assistant Principal Latika Keegan is also a graduate of Columbia University Teachers College, where she received a master's degree in Computing in Education.

Some of the school's faculty participate in professional development programs such as the Pace Inquiry Learning Collaborative, while others are recipients of fellowships from Math for America and Fund for Teachers.