When Kevin Ramirez started at Sunset Park High School three years ago, his English class had 34 students and not enough desks. "Some kids sat on the windowsill for the first two weeks," he said. "By October, enough people had dropped out that everyone had a seat. That's how they solved the overcrowding problem."

Kevin, now a senior and a contributor to this newsroom, spent the last month interviewing classmates at three Sunset Park high schools about their experiences. The picture they paint is one of a school system that struggles to see them.

Mental health came up in nearly every conversation. "After COVID, everyone came back different," said a sophomore at one school who asked not to be named. "Kids were angrier. Sadder. But we have one guidance counselor for 400 students. You can't get an appointment for weeks."

Several students described the gap between what their schools promise and what they deliver. "They put up posters about mental health awareness, but there's nobody to talk to," said another student. "It's like the poster IS the program."

Language access is another recurring theme. Multiple students described parents who couldn't engage with the school because communications came only in English, or because parent-teacher conferences had no interpretation services.

"My mom speaks Spanish and my dad speaks Fujianese," said one student. "Neither of them has ever had a real conversation with any of my teachers."

Kevin Ramirez said he started this project because "adults make all the decisions about our schools but they never ask us what it's actually like to be there." He plans to present the findings at the next community story circle at Sunset Park Library.

The New York City Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.