Motley
District 1717
PublicDistrict 17 →Ed. Opt.

ACORN Community High School

561 GRAND AVENUE

At a Glance

A small PK–8 community school in Crown Heights offering two specialized academies, with a notable gap between its teaching quality ratings and the district norm.

Best suited for

Families drawn to an academy-themed PK–8 model — particularly those interested in early-childhood or IT pathways — who are willing to ask pointed questions about classroom culture given the teacher-instruction-quality gap.

What stands out

  • Two specialized academies — Early Childhood Education and Information Technology — that give elementary-age students a thematic focus uncommon at the PK–8 level.
  • ELL and Spanish language supports, making it a workable fit for Spanish-speaking families or bilingual households.
  • An unusually broad sports lineup for a small school — eight sports including football, tennis, and indoor/outdoor track.
  • Educational-option admissions, meaning students don't need to test in but do compete on priority group.

Things to consider

  • Teacher instruction quality is rated at 55.4%, well below the district average of 89.1% — this is the single most important data point to understand before enrolling.
  • Proficiency scores, attendance rate, suspension rate, and parent satisfaction figures were not available, so several common quality indicators can't be compared here.
  • The Early Childhood Education Academy had a 100% offer rate last cycle while IT Academy had only a 50% offer rate — demand and selectivity differ sharply by program.
  • Peer schools in District 17 include charter options scoring 87–98/100, so this public school will need to compete on fit and culture rather than headline metrics.
  • Class size of 22 is roughly in line with the district average, so don't expect unusually small classrooms.

Based on 2023-24 data

School SummaryDistrict 17

Within District 17, ACORN sits among peer schools that include several high-scoring Success Academy charters (87–98/100) and stronger-performing PS schools like P.S. 249 (89/100); without an overall score provided for ACORN, the school's standing among these peers is hard to gauge.

Academics

Limited data

Proficiency data was not available for this school, so a direct comparison to district ELA (60.5%) and math (57.3%) averages isn't possible from the figures provided. What we can see is that ACORN offers a structured academy model — one focused on early childhood education careers and another on IT — which suggests a curriculum with a vocational flavor uncommon at the elementary level. Parents who prioritize test-score data should ask the school directly for its most recent proficiency results before deciding.

Culture

Limited data

The teacher instruction quality rating of 55.4% stands out sharply against the district average of 89.1% — meaning roughly 55% of teachers rate their own school's instructional environment positively, compared to 89% across District 17. This is a substantial gap that often reflects underlying issues with school leadership, resources, or professional culture rather than any single classroom. Attendance, suspension, and parent satisfaction data weren't provided, so a fuller climate picture will require asking the school directly. The sports program is broad — eight offerings from football to tennis — which suggests genuine investment in after-school life.

Community

ACORN serves a mixed student body in a neighborhood where 20% of households live below the poverty line and 42% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaning the school likely draws from both working-class and professional families. The 16% homeownership rate reflects a largely renter neighborhood, and the relatively low share of households with children (11%) means many local families are either smaller or have already aged out of elementary age. The dual-language and ELL supports suggest a meaningful share of students who are English learners or Spanish-speaking at home.

Neighborhood

Crown Heights (North)

Crown Heights (North) is a transitional Brooklyn neighborhood where a median household income of about $74,000 supports a mix of working-class families and recent arrivals priced in by rising home values (over $1 million median). The 20% poverty rate and 16% homeownership rate tell you this is largely a renter community in flux, not a settled homeowner suburb. Educational attainment is solid, with 42% of adults holding a bachelor's degree — a neighborhood where many parents are college-educated and engaged with their kids' schooling.

The school is about a seven-minute walk from the Franklin Av station (C line) and the Park Pl station (S line), with the Franklin Av station (S line) also about seven minutes away — three reasonable subway options for commuting families.

Survey Results

Teacher Perspective
Instruction
55.4%
Principal Trust
n/a
Collegial Trust
n/a
Safety
n/a

NYC School Survey (2025)

Programs & Activities

Sports(9)
BasketballCross CountryFootballHandballIndoor TrackOutdoor TrackSoccerTennisVolleyball
Language(2)
ELL SupportSpanish

Admissions Demand

Early Childhood Education AcademyAccessible

This program is tailored to support students in acquiring skills for early childhood education and preparing for the Child Development Credential (CDA). Participants will take Early College Courses in education and participate in externships in order to fulfill the criteria of this program.

Seats104
Applicants107
Apps/Seat1.0
Offer Rate100%
Fill Raten/a
Information Technology AcademyAccessible

This program provides students with an opportunity to participate in courses that enhance their skills in computer coding, robotics and game design. Participants are also required to do job shadowing and internships in the field.

Seats104
Applicants207
Apps/Seat2.0
Offer Rate50%
Fill Raten/a

How to get in, step by step

Pre-K

ACORN Community High School also has Pre-K classes. They're a separate application from kindergarten, made on MySchools.

Pre-K application

Applications typically open in the winter and close in the spring, with offers in late spring; the city announces exact dates each year.

Kindergarten

ACORN Community High School doesn't have an attendance zone of its own, so living nearby doesn't guarantee a seat here. Families apply on MySchools, and seats go to the school's priority groups first, then by random lottery.

Kindergarten application

Opens
Wed, Dec 9
Closes
Fri, Jan 22
Offers
Tue, Mar 30

The DOE’s published dates.

  1. 1Apply on MySchools during the kindergarten application.
  2. 2Rank this school with your zoned school, if you have one, and any others you'd take — in true preference order.

Middle school (6th grade)

Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. We don't have ACORN Community High School's program list, so read how each of its programs admits on MySchools before you rank it.

Middle school application

Opened
Wed, Oct 14
Closes
Fri, Dec 11
Offers
Wed, Apr 7

The DOE’s published dates.

  1. 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
  2. 2Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.

ASD Horizon

ACORN Community High School runs an ASD Horizon program (K85Y), listed in the DOE high school directory.

ASD Nest and ASD Horizon are special education programs inside regular district schools, for some students whose IEP carries an autism classification. Both teach the same New York State standards as every other public school.

ASD Horizon runs a special class of at most eight autistic students, with one special education teacher and one paraprofessional (8:1+1), plus weekly group sessions on social communication.

Program descriptions: NYC Public Schools' Autism Family Resource Guide (last updated January 9, 2025).

A seat starts with your child's IEP team: ask them whether a program fits and how to apply.

Open houses and tours

We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.

From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is ACORN Community High School a good school?
Published quality ratings aren't available for ACORN Community High School yet on Motley. It's a public school serving grades Pre-K to 8 in Crown Heights (North).
What grades does ACORN Community High School serve?
ACORN Community High School serves grades Pre-K to 8.
How do students get into ACORN Community High School?
ACORN Community High School uses the Educational Option (Ed-Opt) method, ranking applicants across performance levels so seats go to a mix of abilities.
Is ACORN Community High School public, charter, or private?
ACORN Community High School is a public school in NYC Community School District 17.
What neighborhood is ACORN Community High School in?
ACORN Community High School is in Crown Heights (North), Brooklyn.