Academy For Personal Leadership And Excellence

Test scores remain below the District 10 average — 35.6% ELA versus 45% district-wide and 27.4% Math versus 43.5% — placing this school in the bottom tier academically. However, the long-term trend is undeniable: ELA has grown from 15.8% in 2016 to 35.6% in 2025, and Math from 8.8% to 27.4%, representing genuine year-over-year gains. Grade 8 students perform strongest in ELA (41.2%), while Grade 7 leads in Math (32.2%), suggesting the upper grades are building solid foundations. The overall score of 1.26 out of 4 reflects these ongoing recovery efforts rather than full mastery.

The survey data tells a striking story: families absolutely trust this school's leadership — 97% confidence in the principal, 96% in teachers, and 94% overall satisfaction. Teachers also report high instruction quality (95%) and trust in leadership (91%), though collegial trust among teachers is lower at 77%. The discipline picture is improving dramatically: suspensions dropped from 19 in 2021-22 to just 5 in 2023-24, now at 1%. The catch: chronic absenteeism is a serious issue at 56.6%, far above the district average of 9.2%, meaning nearly six in ten students miss significant school time. This suggests the school has work to do on engagement and attendance, even as trust and discipline have improved.

This is a predominantly Hispanic school (84%) with 11% Black students, reflecting the neighborhood's demographics. Nearly a quarter of students (24%) have IEPs, and the economic need index sits at 93.5% — meaning almost all students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The diversity index is low at 34% because the community is fairly homogeneous. Yet parent satisfaction matches the district average at 94%, showing families feel good about their choice despite the academic challenges.

Fordham Heights is a working-class immigrant neighborhood in the Bronx with significant challenges. Median household income is just $40,304, and 32.6% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 11.4% have a bachelor's degree, and homeownership is nearly nonexistent at 1.1%. The neighborhood scores zero on safety metrics and has high environmental concerns (elevated lead rates and asthma incidence). On the positive side, transit access is strong (85th percentile) and the area is very family-dense (94th percentile). The school sits in a community where families are navigating significant economic hardship but have strong local connections.

Families typically walk or take public transit — the neighborhood has excellent subway and bus access, and most students live within walking distance given the area's density.