Townsend Harris High School at Queens College (THHS) is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the borough of Queens in New York City. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites." Townsend Harris consistently ranks as among the top 100 high schools in the United States. Since 2019, U.S. News & World Report has ranked THHS #1 in New York State; THHS ranked #19 nationally in 2022. The school was named in honor of Townsend Harris the 19th-century American merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the first American Consul to Japan. History Townsend Harris High School was founded in 1984 by alumni of Townsend Harris Hall Prep School, who wanted to reopen their school that was closed in the 1940s. This process started in 1980. The first principal was Malcolm Largmann, a former high school English teacher with a strong belief in a classical education who also handpicked the school's original faculty. Largmann served as principal of Townsend Harris from 1984 until his retirement in 2001. The new school began life in a small building on Parsons Boulevard, originally intended as a temporary home until a permanent facility could be realized. In early 1995, the school moved into a new building located on the campus of Queens College. Brian Condon became principal after a heated debate concerning Interim Principal Rosemarie Jahoda, which was covered extensively by student reporters from The Classic. Admissions Well over 15,400 students compete for approximately 270 seats in the freshman class each year based on their middle school grades, standardized test scores and even attendance records. Admission is available to all New York City residents in 8th grade. A minimum grade point average of 91 is required of all applicants to be considered for admission. Minimum standardized reading and math scores at the 90th percentile are also required (4.3 on both English and Math). Some seats are available for 9th graders wishing to start Townsend as sophomores, though as the number depends on the number of students who decide to leave the school during freshman year the number varies significantly from year to year; in 2006, only 5 were available. In 2019, just 10 seats were available to 5,000 students who applied. Initially, the admissions process included an interview and a writing component, but this was eliminated by 1988. Upon application, students take a writing and math assessment, record a student