Melrose Academy (ALC)

Class size at ALC - Melrose Academy averages 20.8 students, essentially matching the District 32 average of about 20.8. The school spans an unusually wide grade range (6-12), which means students don't have to navigate the disruptive middle-to-high-school transition that affects many NYC students.

As an Alternative Learning Center, ALC - Melrose Academy operates in a smaller-school setting outside the traditional large comprehensive school model, with class sizes holding steady around the district average.

The school draws from West Bushwick, where only about 11% of households include children — making families with school-age kids a clear minority in the immediate neighborhood. The surrounding community spans a wide economic range, with a median household income near $86,760 and a poverty rate just above 20%, reflecting the mix of long-time residents and newer arrivals drawn to the area's rising home values.

West Bushwick is a predominantly renter neighborhood where only about 11% of households own their homes. Rapid change is visible in the gap between a roughly $86,760 median income and an $882,000 median home value, while nearly 45% of adults hold a bachelor's degree and the poverty rate sits just above 20%.

Families can reach the school via the M train at Central Avenue (about a 7-minute walk), the L train at Morgan Avenue (also about a 7-minute walk), or the M, J, and Z lines at Myrtle Avenue (around a 10-minute walk).