Welcome to ReStart Academy

ReStart Academy is an alternative education program that provides transitional services for students ages 13 through adult in a variety of settings. As a program under the auspices of NYC District 79, New York City’s alternative schools district, we have 15 locations throughout the five boroughs and including two residential sites in upstate New York. Learn more about us throughout the pages of this website, and if we can be of service to you, please contact us.

A Message From Our Principal

Dear ReStart Academy Community,

We’re proud to kick off our 20th school year at ReStart Academy! For two decades, we’ve been honored to provide some of our city’s most vulnerable students with an education that meets them where they are and helps them move forward.

ReStart Academy is a unique school program. We serve students who have struggled or have become disengaged from school for a variety of reasons. We have two distinct academic programs – middle school and partnership programs – that serve students ages 13 to adult.

Reaching our 20th year is a meaningful milestone, and it’s worth reflecting on how far we’ve come. ReStart began primarily as a high school equivalency program, offering GED instruction to students in day and residential substance use treatment programs — work that, though smaller today, remains highly successful. We also began with just a few high school sites offering mostly elective credit; over the years we’ve added required coursework, and today our high school students are able to stay on track toward graduation, and many even complete diploma requirements while with us. Our most significant shift came when we were asked to develop a middle school program for overage 8th graders — new territory for us at the time, and today it is our largest program and a true success story.

We look forward to continuing our focus on providing the highest quality academic program and social/emotional support for each ReStart Academy student, and to seeking new and innovative ways to support them. We’re also eager to continue expanding our newest program, School-Based Virtual Learning (SBVL), which allows access to quality MS, HS, and HSE instruction to ReStart students who cannot attend school in person for a variety of reasons.

I am proud of the ReStart Academy team, who have always focused on excellence, growth, flexibility, and creativity. Our joint commitment to these ideals has led to our long history of success. We highlight some of last year’s successes in our 2025–2026 graduation collage to the right.

I encourage you to browse these pages to learn more about our program, and please reach out for more information and student referrals.

Here’s to 20 years — and to the students and families who make this work meaningful.

Sincerely,

Joan M. Indart-Etienne
Principal