Brilla College Preparatory Charter School

Both subjects are comfortably above district averages — about 10 points higher in ELA and 9 points higher in math than the District 7 mean. The trajectory is more interesting than the snapshot: ELA climbed from 38.4% in 2016 to a 2019 peak of 60%, dipped through the post-pandemic years, then jumped back to 61.2% in 2025, the strongest result in the dataset. Math recovered more unevenly, falling from a 63.3% high in 2017 to 41.7% in 2022 before climbing back to 57.9% — still below its pre-pandemic peak but trending the right direction. Eighth graders are the strongest cohort at 72.9% ELA, suggesting the longer students stay, the more the school pays off.

Day-to-day here runs on parent engagement — 97% of families say they're satisfied and 98% trust their child's teacher, both well above the district. The flip side is the attendance picture: while the 91.4% rate is roughly average for the district, 70.5% of students are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year), a post-COVID reality shared across the city. Teacher-reported safety at 76% sits a few points below the district's 80.5%, and teacher-principal trust at 81% lags the very high parent-principal trust — worth asking about on a tour.

The student body is 77% Hispanic and 20% Black, with an economic need index of 90.8 — nearly all students qualify as low-income — and 25% have IEPs, higher than the citywide norm. The surrounding neighborhood, Mott Haven-Port Morris, runs heavily Hispanic and Black as well, with a median household income around $29,000 and a 40% poverty rate, so the school draws from the community around it rather than drawing in commuters. The diversity index of 35% reflects a fairly homogeneous population rather than a lack of inclusion.

Mott Haven-Port Morris is a dense, working-class stretch of the South Bronx where homeownership is rare (about 6%) and most adults never finished a four-year degree. Households with children are only 12.2%, so families with school-age kids are a minority in a neighborhood of mostly adult renters — the schools here serve a relatively concentrated population. The school sits among blocks of multifamily housing, with three subway options within walking distance.

Most families take the subway: 3 Av-149 St on the 2 and 5 is about a 5-minute walk, with Brook Av and 3 Av-138 St on the 6 each about 8 minutes away.