James Madison High School is a public high school in Midwood, Brooklyn. It serves students in grades 9 through 12 and is in Region 6 of the New York City Department of Education.

Established in 1925, the school has many famous graduates, among them the late United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Judge Judy Sheindlin, two sitting U.S. senators, Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and former Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN). The school counts five Nobel Prize winners among its alumni.

Academics At Madison, students are a part of one of eight houses the school has to offer. They act as academic communities in the school that focus on a specific field or career.

Health Sciences (Medical House) Academy Of Finance International House Law Institute LAM House (Literature, Arts, and Music) Academy of Information Technology (IT) Pre-Education House Exploration House

Screened programs Out of the eight Madison houses, both the Law Institute and Health Sciences house are screened programs and are considered by students as "honors" houses that students have to get in with good grades during the NYC high school application process or can transfer in from another house while at Madison.

The Law Institute (known as the Law House by students and faculty) is a special program centered around understanding the legal system, constitution, and the United States' Government. Students in the Law Institute participate in Mock Trial, Moot Court, and We The People. The school also features a mock court room for Law Institute students named after Madison alum and a former US Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The Health Science House (known as the Medical or "Med" House) is a special program that focuses in medical and health sciences. As a senior, students in the Health Sciences House are able to become certified as a EMT or a medical assistant. There are multiple different tracks of study students here can choose.

Advanced Placement classes Madison has a large amount of Advanced Placement classes by the College Board for students to take to receive college credit.

AP English Language and Composition AP English Literature and Composition AP World History: Modern AP US History AP European History AP Capstone AP US Government and Politics AP Macroeconomics AP Art History AP Human Geography AP Biology AP Psychology AP Environmental Science AP Chemistry AP Physics 1 AP Calculus AB AP Calculus BC AP Computer Science A AP Computer Science Principles AP Spanish Language and Culture AP Spanish Literature and Culture AP Chinese Language and Culture

Extracurricular activities

Sports Madison has many PSAL sports teams in boys and girls junior varsity and varsity. They have teams in football, soccer, baseball, swimming, basketball, volleyball, track, cross country, badminton, bowling, lacrosse, wrestling, golf, handball, table tennis, and rugby. The school team's name is the "Knights."

Notable teachers William Frauenglass Clarence Taylor

Notable alumni Notable alumni of James Madison High School include:

Cal Abrams (1924–1997, class of 1942), Major-League Baseball player. Elaine Abrams, physician, professor and public health expert. Maury Allen (born Maurice Allen Rosenberg; 1932–2010, class of 1949), sportswriter. Roger Andewelt (1946–2001, class of 1963), attorney, federal judge US Court of Federal Claims Arthur Ashkin (1922–2020, class of 1940), Nobel Prize winner, physics. Julius Ashkin (1920–1982, class of 1936), Manhattan Project physicist. Gary Becker (1930–2014, class of 1948), Nobel Prize winner, economics.Fuchs, Victor R. "Nobel Laureate – Gary S. Becker: Ideas About Facts" , Journal of Economic Perspectives, Volume 8, number 2 – Spring 1994, pp. 183–192. Accessed June 11, 2013. Paul Bender (born 1933), attorney, author, judge, law professor, and former Dean of the Arizona State University College of Law. Jay Bennett (1912–2009), author[]https://www.google.com/books/edition/Something_about_the_Author/StlkAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22Jay+Bennett%22+%22james+madison+high+%22&dq=%22Jay+Bennett%22+%22james+madison+high+%22&printsec=frontcover Something about the Author: Autobiography series,[ Volume 4, Page 81, Gale Research Company, 1987. Mimi Benzell (1918–1970), opera singer. Walter Block (born 1941, class of 1959), Austrian School economist, anarcho-capitalist theoretician, professor of economics Harry Boatswain (1969–2005, class of 1987), former professional NFL football player.Eskenazi, Gerald. "Keeping Offense in Protective Custody, Jets Lose to Oilers" , The New York Times, August 4, 1996. Accessed June 11, 2013. Andrew Dice Clay (born 1957 as Andrew Clay Silverstein), comedian.Daly, Sean. "The return of Andrew Dice Clay" , New York Post, August 21, 2011. Stanley Cohen (1922–2020, class of 1939), Nobel Prize winner, medicine.Gleick, James. "MAN IN THE NEWS; HOLDOUT ON BIG SCIENCE: STANLEY COHEN" , The New York Times, October 14, 1986; accessed June 11, 2013. Norm Coleman (born 1949, class of 1966), former US Senator (Republican of Minnesota).O'Shea, Jennifer L. "10 Things You Didn't Know About Norm Coleman" , U.S. News & World Report, January 7, 2009. Accessed June 11, 2013. Paul Contillo (1929–2024), New Jersey State Senator Robert Dallek (born 1934, class of 1952), historian. Roy DeMeo (1940–1983, class of 1959), mobster.Dickson, Michael M. "Roy Albert DeMeo – Leader of the Gambino Family Murder for Hire" , American Mafia History, October 18, 2012. Accessed June 11, 2013. Harry Eisenstat (1915–2003, class of 1935), Major League Baseball player Devale Ellis (born 1984), professional football player and actor.Rock, Tom. , Newsday, October 21, 2006. Accessed June 11, 2013. Vivian Perlstein Folkenflik (1940–2023), educator and translatorJames Madison High School, Log '57 (1957 yearbook): 118. via Ancestry. Harvey Feldman (1931–2009, class of 1949), US diplomat: known for planning the 1972 Nixon trip to China, US Ambassador to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, Alternative US Representative to the United Nations Sandra Feldman (1939–2005, class of 1956), President of the American Federation of Teachers. Stan Fields (born 1955, class of 1973), biologist: discovered the two-hybrid system Norman Finkelstein (born 1953) political scientist, activist, professor, author. Sonny Fox (1925–2021), TV personality. Kevin Francis, (born 1993, class of 2011) CFL player Fran Fraschilla (born 1958, class of 1976), basketball commentator and former college basketball coach Leonard Frey (1938–1988, class of 1956), actor.Gussow, Mel. "Leonard Frey, Actor, Dies at 49" , The New York Times, August 25, 1988. "Mr. Frey was born in Brooklyn and attended James Madison High School." Joseph S. Fruton (1912–2007), born Joseph Fruchtgarten, Jewish Polish-American biochemist and historian of science. David Frye (1933–2011; born David Shapiro), comedian.Grimes, William. "David Frye, Perfectly Clear Nixon Parodist, Dies at 77" , The New York Times, January 29, 2011; accessed June 11, 2013. Sid Ganis (born 1940, class of 1957), motion picture executive. William Gaines (1922–1992, class of 1939), founding publisher of Mad magazine.Tebbel, John Robert. " What, Me Gone?" , Instant Classics, June 5, 1992; accessed June 11, 2013. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020, class of 1950), Associate Justice, US Supreme Court. Richard D. Gitlin (born 1943, class of 1959), National Academy of Engineering, co-inventor of DSL while at Bell Labs Lila R. Gleitman (1929–2021), 2017 Rumelhart prize recipient Marty Glickman (1917-2001, class of 1935), Olympian and broadcaster. Jonathan Greenstein (born 1967), antique Judaica authentication expert Ron Haigler (born 1953, class of 1971), basketball player.Missanelli, M. G. "Temple Adds Two Top Scholastic Talents from alabama" , The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 25, 1992; accessed June 11, 2013. Stanley Myron Handleman (1929–2007, class of 1947), comedian.Brantley, Robin. "Beverly Hills Brooklynites; A Brooklyn Evening in Beverly Hills" , The New York Times, October 1, 1980; accessed June 11, 2013. Deborah Hay (born 1941, class of 1957), dancer, artist Ellis Horowitz (born 1944, class of 1960), computer scientist, professor Garson Kanin (1912–1999, class of 1927), writer and director of plays and films. Stanley Kaplan (1919–2009, class of 1935), test preparation entrepreneur.Campbell, Loriann. "Mad About Madsion 1,000 Alumni Of A Brooklyn High School, From 1927 Through 1970, Plan A South Florida Reunion." , Sun Sentinel, December 18, 1988; accessed June 11, 2013. Buddy Kaye (1918–2002), songwriter, musician, producer, author and publisher. Donald Keene (1922–2019, class of 1939), Japanese scholar, historian, writer, and translator. Carole King (born 1942 as Carole Klein, class of 1958), singer and songwriter. Paul L. Krinsky (1928–2023, class of 1946), U.S. Navy rear admiral. Martin Landau (1928-2017), Academy Award-winning actor.Behrens, David. , Newsday, November 23, 1995; accessed June 11, 2013. Rudy LaRusso (1937–2004), five-time All-Star NBA basketball player. Mell Lazarus (1927–2016), cartoonist. Andrew Levane (1920–2012, class of 1940), professional NBA basketball player.Berkow, Ira. "Sports of The Times; He Made Music of His Own" , The New York Times, March 4, 1999. Accessed June 11, 2013. David Lichtenstein (born 1960), billionaire real estate investor Elaine Malbin (born 1932, class of 1948), opera singer. Marvin Miller (1917–2012, class of 1933), MLB players union executive director. Bruce Morrow (born 1935, class of 1953), radio personality. Herbert S. Okun (1930–2011, class of 1947), diplomat. Martin Lewis Perl (1927–2014, class of 1942), Nobel Prize winner, physics.Autobiography of Martin L. Perl , Nobel Prize; accessed June 11, 2013. Sylvia Porter (1913–1991, class of 1930), economist and journalist. Deborah Poritz (born 1936, class of 1954), N.J. Attorney General then Chief Justice, N.J. Supreme Court. Shais Rishon (born 1982, class of 1999), rabbi, activist, and writer. Chris Rock (born 1965), comedian and actor.via New York Post. "Chris Rock Gets Show Based on Childhood" , Fox News, June 18, 2005. Accessed June 11, 2013. Norman Rosten (1913–1995), poet, playwright and novelist. Abdel Russell (born 1977), Independent record label owner (MVB Records), showrunner (MVBtv), author, creator of the term Urban pop culture, and retail executive.via Daily Record (Scotland). "Wishaw singer Marc Evans signed up by New York record label (MVB Records) after being spotted on Twitter" , Daily Record (Scotland), July 29, 2016. Accessed May 1, 2026. Dmitry Salita (born 1982), professional boxer.Farrell, Bill. "A NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS The 73rd Daily News Golden Gloves" , Daily News (New York), April 28, 2000; accessed June 11, 2013. Murray Saltzman (1929–2010, class of 1947), Reform Jewish rabbi. Bernie Sanders (born 1941, class of 1959), US Senator, (Independent of Vermont) as well as a 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential candidate.About Bernie , Bernie Sanders. Accessed June 11, 2013. Larry Sanders (born 1935), American-British politician and brother of Bernie Sanders.Stein, Ellin.Growing Up With The Bern , Slate, February 4, 2016. Accessed February 11, 2016. Babe Scheuer (1913–1997), American football player Harvey Schlesinger (born 1940, class of 1958), US District Judge for the Middle District of Florida Ted Schreiber (1938–2022), Major League Baseball player. Chuck Schumer (born 1950, class of 1967), U.S. Senate Majority Leader (New York) Sybil Shainwald (1928–2025), attorney specializing in women's health law, and activist for women's health reform Irwin Shaw (born Irwin Gilbert Shamforoff; 1913–1984, class of 1929), playwright, screenwriter and novelist.