other" category making up 44% of the student body total, comprising the largest segment of the school's population. White students comprise 37% of the population, Hispanic students 12% and black students 7%. 48% of students at Townsend Harris are from an economically disadvantaged background. The school maintains a 100% graduation rate. Miscellaneous The attendance rate is the highest in NYC. Scores on standardized examinations are also high when compared to other public high schools; in the year 2005–2006, Harrisites had average scores of 628 and 632 on the SAT verbal and math sections, respectively, compared to 551 and 565 for what the city deems "similar schools" and 444 and 467 for students citywide. In 2000 Eileen F. Lebow published a history of the original school, The Bright Boys: A History of Townsend Harris High School (). Accomplishments The Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Foundation named Harris a 21st Century School of Distinction in June 2004. In December of that year, the school was named a Lighthouse School by the same organization. In 2005 and 2006, the school had the highest percentage of students passing Regents exams of any New York City Department of Education high school. 2006-2007 Highest Percentage Passing AP World History Scores in the US for a Large School Notable alumni Scholars Manfred Halpern, political scientist expert in modern Middle East Writing and journalism Neil Drumming (1992) journalist, writer, and director of the film Big Words (2013), and podcast producer for This American Life, Serial, and The New York Times Performing arts and entertainment Irving Caesar (1910) was a lyricist whose works include: "Swanee," and "Tea for Two". He co-wrote the songs in the musical No, No, Nanette, and was an early collaborator with George Gershwin. Ervin Drake (1935) was an American songwriter whose works include such American Songbook standards as "I Believe" and "It Was a Very Good Year". Ira Gershwin (1914) was a lyricist who collaborated with his brother, composer George Gershwin, to create songs such as "I Got Rhythm", "Embraceable You", "The Man I Love", "Someone to Watch Over Me" and songs for the opera Porgy and Bess. Yip Harburg, a lifelong friend of schoolmate Ira Gershwin, wrote the lyrics to standards "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", "April in Paris", "It's Only a Paper Moon", and all of the songs for the movie The Wizard of Oz, including "Over the Rainbow". Hari Kondabolu (2000)