Finding a Strong Zoned School in the Bronx for Less Than the City's Typical Rent
A worked example: three Bronx neighborhoods where asking rents sit well under the city's middle and the zoned school beats its district on the state tests while serving mostly high-need kids.
This is a worked example, not a testimonial. We took one question a lot of parents ask — can we rent somewhere we can afford and still be zoned for a school that’s doing well?— and ran it the same way for every neighborhood in the Bronx. The rule, the numbers and the schools are below, so you can check every step.
The rule we used
A neighborhood made the list when all of this was true:
- Its median asking rent is under the middle of all residential NYC neighborhoods, which is $3,000 a month right now. Asking rent comes from listings, so it’s what landlords ask, not what tenants end up paying.
- A larger share of its residents are under 18 than in the typical NYC neighborhood (about 21%).
- A public zoned elementary or middle school serving it beats its own district’s average on the New York State ELA and math tests by at least 10 points, while the city estimates that at least 60% of its students face economic hardship.
That last part matters. A school with almost no high-need students can post high scores for reasons that have little to do with the school. We wanted schools doing better than their neighbors while serving the same kids.
Nine Bronx neighborhoods pass. Here are three of them, with the numbers that put them there.
Tremont
Tremont has the lowest median asking rent of the nine, about $1,750, and 29% of its residents are under 18. Its zoned school, P.S. 44 David C. Farragut, averages 72% proficiency across the state ELA and math tests, against an average of 44% across District 12’s schools. The city’s Economic Need Index puts about 95% of its students in economic hardship.
University Heights (South)–Morris Heights
University Heights (South)–Morris Heights runs about $2,070 in median asking rent, with 28% of residents under 18. P.S. 204 Morris Heights averages 73% proficiency against 45% across District 9, with an Economic Need Index of about 91.
Crotona Park East
Crotona Park East sits around $2,700, with 26% of residents under 18. P.S. 66 School of Higher Expectationsaverages 82% proficiency, nearly double District 12’s 44%, with an Economic Need Index of about 93.
What the list doesn’t tell you
- Your zone is set by your address,not your neighborhood. Two buildings a block apart can be zoned for different schools. Check the exact address before you sign — here’s how.
- Test results are one year’s picture.Visit, ask about class sizes and after-school programs, and read what families said in the NYC School Survey on each school’s page.
- Rent is a median. Half the listings in a neighborhood ask more than it, and a family-sized apartment usually asks more than a one-bedroom.
- It isn’t a ranking.Every neighborhood here meets the same rule; none of them is “best.” Safety, commute and what your kids need still decide it.
Run it yourself
All nine neighborhoods, and all 13 Bronx zoned schools that beat their district while serving high-need students, are on the Bronx neighborhoods page, each with the rule it met. There’s also a full list of Bronx schools that beat their district. On our neighborhood search, the “Has a school that beats its district” filter narrows any borough the same way, and Best fit ranks what’s left by what your family weighs most. Both are free.
Numbers as of October 2026: state test results from the latest New York State tests on our school pages, asking rents from listings, and census figures from the American Community Survey 2018–2022.
