A.C.E. Academy for Scholars at the Geraldine Ferraro Campus

ELA proficiency of 61.5% sits about 10 points above the district average of 51%, and math at 65.1% similarly outpaces the district's 54.8%. The math trajectory has been remarkably steady — bouncing in a 65–73% band since 2016 — while ELA has been more volatile, peaking at 71.2% in 2018 and dipping to 56.9% in 2024 before recovering this year. Grade 5 leads the way at 71.2% in ELA, while Grade 3 sits lower at 55.3%, suggesting the upper elementary years are where this school really clicks.

The day-to-day feel here reads warm and trusting. Parent satisfaction is 96%, parent-teacher trust is 98%, and parent-principal trust hits 99% — near the ceiling. Teachers rate safety at 99%, instruction quality at 95%, and trust in leadership at 98%. There have been zero suspensions for three straight years, which is striking for a school this size. The honest asterisk is chronic absenteeism: 81.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days, a number parents should ask about — even though survey responses show families feel good about the school itself.

The student body is 51% Hispanic, 30% White, 14% Asian, and 2% Black, with a 66% diversity index — a mix that closely tracks Ridgewood's own demographic character as a Hispanic-anchored, increasingly White neighborhood. About 55% of students qualify on the economic need index, which is moderate. Ten percent of students have IEPs. With 570 kids and PTA fundraising at $69 per student — more than double the district average of $32 — the families here are visibly invested.

Ridgewood is a working-and-middle-class pocket where the median household income of $83,559 sits comfortably above the citywide figure, though 12.6% of residents live below the poverty line. Just 17.2% of households include children, and homeownership is low at 20% — but the median home value clears $1 million, a telltale sign of the neighborhood's long-running gentrification. About a third of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

The nearest subway is the M at Forest Av, about a 14-minute walk; the M at Seneca Av is roughly 15 minutes on foot, and the L at Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs is about 19 minutes away. None are doorstep-close, so most families bus, drive, or walk locally.