Achievement First East New York Charter School

The school currently outperforms District 19 averages — ELA proficiency at 61% (vs. 48.9% district) and Math at 53.5% (vs. 48.2% district). However, looking at the full picture reveals volatility: scores peaked in 2018-2019 (ELA 72.5%, Math 83.3%), plummeted during the pandemic (2022: ELA 48.3%, Math 46.2%), and are recovering to 61% and 53.5% respectively in 2025. Grade-level data shows strong performance in elementary grades (Grade 4: 74.3% ELA, 74.6% Math) but a sharp dip in Grade 8 Math (only 16.7%). Science proficiency at 38.9% is another area for growth. The overall score of 2.29/4 sits above the district average of 1.94, but the trend line suggests uneven recovery across grades and subjects.

The survey data tells a striking story: 100% of parents trust the principal, 98% trust teachers, and 98% report satisfaction — well above district averages. Teachers rate instruction quality at 93.8% (vs. 87.9% district). Yet this strong family-staff relationship exists alongside a chronic absenteeism crisis: 66.1% of students are chronically absent, with Hispanic students at 68.7% and males at 67.4%. The 91.3% attendance rate is marginally above the district average, but the chronic absence numbers suggest deeper challenges around getting students to school consistently. The gap between high survey satisfaction and poor attendance warrants investigation — families may feel positively about the school while struggling with logistical, health, or structural barriers to daily attendance.

With 61% Black and 35% Hispanic students, the school reflects the demographics of East New York — a community where 22.6% of residents live below the poverty line and only 16% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The diversity index sits at 45%, with nearly all students coming from historically underserved groups. Economic need is high (74.7%), and 13% of students have IEPs. The student body is predominantly local, drawn from a neighborhood where households with children represent only 10.6% of the population — making this school's 1,166 enrollment a significant presence in the community.

East New York is a transit-accessible Brooklyn neighborhood (68.58 transit score) with a median household income of $58,087 and a homeownership rate of just 29.3%. Safety indicators show concerns — crime density is high at 2,565 per area measure, and the neighborhood scores only 31.42 on safety. However, it is a working-class community with real family infrastructure. The education orientation score of 37.93 suggests this isn't a highly education-focused neighborhood in the traditional sense, which makes Achievement First's presence as a charter option more significant for families seeking structured academic pathways.

The neighborhood has moderate transit access. Families from surrounding blocks can walk, while those from farther away rely on bus or subway connections — the school sits in an area where walking conditions vary by block.