Bronx Charter School for Excellence 2

Proficiency rates here are remarkable — 92.5% in ELA and 95.7% in math, roughly 35 to 40 percentage points above the District 11 average of 57% ELA and 56% math. The trajectory tells a clear recovery story: scores dipped to 70.5% ELA and 74% math in 2022 in the wake of pandemic disruption, but have climbed each year since, with 2025 actually surpassing 2019's pre-pandemic highs. Strength holds across every tested grade — math proficiency lands between 91% and 98% from third through eighth grade — which suggests the results aren't being driven by one strong cohort.

The day-to-day feel here reads as unusually positive by both family and teacher accounts — 95% parent satisfaction, 100% of teachers rating instruction quality highly, and 100% reporting the school feels safe. Parent-principal trust at 96% is among the stronger figures you'll find in the data, and a 92% family survey response rate suggests this is real engagement rather than checkbox participation. One number parents should weigh carefully: chronic absenteeism sits at 91.3%, meaning nearly every student has missed 10% or more of the school year — a citywide post-pandemic pattern that doesn't necessarily reflect school climate but is worth asking about. The 95.6% daily attendance rate, well above the district average, points the other direction.

Students here are predominantly Black and Hispanic (35% and 39%), with a notably large Asian American community at 23% — a mix more diverse than many Bronx schools. About 70% of students qualify based on economic need, broadly in step with the working-class character of the surrounding Pelham Parkway-Van Nest area. With 439 total students and a 13% IEP population, classes average roughly two dozen, giving it a tight, contained feel where most families know each other.

Pelham Parkway-Van Nest is a Bronx neighborhood where renters outnumber homeowners by a wide margin (only about 23% own), with a median household income around $72,600 and a poverty rate near 16% — solidly working- and middle-class. Roughly 17% of households include children, keeping local schools well-populated, and just over a quarter of neighborhood adults hold a bachelor's degree. The area has a stable, family-oriented feel anchored by the greenery of nearby Bronx Park.

The 2 and 5 trains stop at Bronx Park East about a seven-minute walk from the school, with the E 180 St station (also 2 and 5) about a twelve-minute walk and Morris Park (5) a thirteen-minute walk — a few solid commute options for families coming from elsewhere in the Bronx.