Beginning with Children Charter School II

Both ELA (66%) and math (67.7%) sit above district averages of 62.4% and 59.5%, respectively. The trajectory is encouraging: ELA climbed from 51.9% in 2024 to 66% in 2025, the highest mark in nearly a decade. Math has held steady in the mid-60s after a post-2020 dip. The catch is that these school-wide numbers mask a stark grade-by-grade split — Grades 3 through 5 post ELA scores in the 70s and math scores near 98%, but by Grade 8 math proficiency collapses to 20%.

The school feels safe and tight-knit by every measure that asks the adults in the building. Teacher-reported safety is 100%, teacher-principal trust is 98%, and parent satisfaction sits at 97% — all well above district norms. Average daily attendance of 91.5% beats the district average of 88.9%, which sounds fine until you see that chronic absenteeism runs at 69.7%, meaning most students are missing too many days even if the average kid shows up most mornings. Survey data suggests the adults trust each other and families feel heard; the day-to-day feel is warm, just not necessarily consistent in attendance.

The student body is 81% Hispanic and 15% Black, with an economic need index of 87.2 (very high poverty concentration) and 23% of students with IEPs. This closely tracks South Williamsburg's demographics, where nearly half of residents live below the poverty line and the population skews heavily Latino. It is not a diverse student body in the multicultural sense — the diversity index is just 33% — but it is a school deeply rooted in and reflective of its immediate neighborhood.

South Williamsburg is a densely packed, working-class neighborhood where about 45% of households include children and homeownership is rare at under 17%. Median household income sits around $39,000 and just 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, so families are often navigating school choice on tight budgets. The high home values reflect the broader Williamsburg market pressure even though most residents are renters. It is unmistakably a family neighborhood — playgrounds, strollers, after-school programs everywhere you look.

The school is unusually well-connected: the Hewes St station (M, J) is roughly a 4-minute walk, Broadway (G) about 5 minutes, and Flushing Av (G) about 6 minutes away.