At a Glance
A screened medical-science pipeline in the West Bronx with competitive admissions and uneven academic results
Best suited for
Families committed to a medical-science pathway who can support consistent attendance at home and aren't focused on top-tier standardized test outcomes.
Overall Rating
Grades 3–8
Rating = average of NY State ELA + math proficiency, grades 3–8
High school
Rating = average of 4-year graduation, English Regents college-ready and Regents completion · DOE 2025 report
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Screened medical sciences focus with a 4.5% offer rate — among the most selective in District 9
- Honors and accelerated courses available alongside a robust IEP support system
- Twelve varsity sports, more than most middle/high combinations in the area
- Zero suspensions and a notably calm discipline environment
- Daily attendance that beats the district average
Things to consider
- Math proficiency collapsed from 38.4% to 19.4% in two years
- Chronic absenteeism at 77.6% is severe and likely drives much of the academic story
- ELA proficiency has slid roughly 8 points over the past decade
- PTA raises just $1 per student versus a district average of $4.43 — parent fundraising muscle is thin
- 30% of students have IEPs, so learning-support capacity is a real constraint
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 9
Within District 9, this campus sits well below its charter-school peers — Icahn and Success Academy schools score in the 90s and upper 90s — and below the local public-school average. It's one of the few screened secondary options in the district, which gives it a distinct role even if its overall quality score trails the pack.
Academics
ELA proficiency at 37.5% is roughly 7 points below the District 9 average of 44.75%. Math is the bigger concern: proficiency has fallen from 38.4% in 2023 to 19.4% in 2025 — less than half the district average of 44.7%. ELA proficiency has trended down over the past decade (45.7% in 2016 to 37.5% in 2025), and math scores have bounced around before settling well below where they started. By grade, sixth graders are struggling most (30% ELA, 7.1% math); eighth graders post stronger ELA (48.8%) but math remains weak across all grades. The school's overall quality score of 1.14/4 is meaningfully below the district average of 1.79.
Culture
With zero suspensions — well below the district rate of roughly 0.42% — the day-to-day discipline environment is genuinely calm. Teacher-reported instruction quality (90%) is essentially on par with the district, and teacher-principal trust at 88% suggests a coherent staff culture. Parent trust in teachers (93%) and the principal (89%) is strong, though only 14% of families responded to the survey. The catch is attendance: while the 92.5% rate beats the district average, chronic absenteeism is 77.6%, meaning the large majority of students are missing enough school to qualify as chronically absent — almost certainly a drag on those proficiency scores.
Community
The student body is 68% Hispanic, 24% Black, 5% Asian, with small White and multi-racial shares — broadly reflecting the Mount Eden-Claremont (West) neighborhood's demographic character. With an economic need index of 91.2%, almost every student comes from a low-income household, and 30% have IEPs. The diversity index of 49% reflects the mix within those groups rather than a wide spread of races.
Neighborhood
Mount Eden-Claremont (West) is a working-class Bronx neighborhood where median household income hovers around $45,000 and about a third of residents live below the poverty line. Just 4.4% of households own their homes — this is a renter-heavy, family-dense area where 19.3% of households include children. Roughly 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the median home value sits near $262,000.
The 170 St B/D station is about a three-minute walk, while the Mt Eden Av and 170 St stations on the 4 line are roughly 7–8 minutes on foot — solid transit access for families coming from across the Bronx.
Academic Performance
ELA Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State ELA exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Math Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Math exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Historical Trends
The dashed line marks 2023, when New York changed its grades 3–8 state tests. Scores before and after it aren’t directly comparable.
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 49 families responded (14% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
The instructional program for HSMS students in grades 9-10 is focused on critical thinking skills. Students are in inclusive classroom settings and take core courses and required Regents examinations. The instructional program for HSMS students in grades 11-12 is focused on effective communication skills that build towards college and career readiness.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
PTA Fundraising
Source: DOE Local Law 171 disclosure
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Middle school (6th grade)
Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. Bronx High School for Medical Science admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Bronx School For Medical ScienceScreened57 seats
Middle school application
- Opened
- Wed, Oct 14
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 11
- Offers
- Wed, Apr 7
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
- 2Screened programs rank 4th-grade course grades, so last year's report card is the one that counts.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
High school (9th grade)
High school is one citywide application, made in 8th grade. Bronx High School for Medical Science admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Medical and Health SciencesScreened
High school application
- Opened
- Tue, Oct 6
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 4
- Offers
- Wed, Mar 3
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the high school application, in 8th grade.
- 2Screened programs rank the 7th-grade core-course average, so last year's final grades are the ones that count.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
Open house
Sat, Nov 14, · 10:00 AM · In person
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Bronx High School for Medical Science a good school?
- On Motley, Bronx High School for Medical Science earns an overall rating of 28/100 — the average of the school's New York State ELA and math proficiency, grades 3–8, shown out of 100. Its state test results run below the District 9 average. Its high school grades have their own rating, 66/100, from graduation and Regents results.
- What grades does Bronx High School for Medical Science serve?
- Bronx High School for Medical Science serves grades 6 to 12.
- How do students get into Bronx High School for Medical Science?
- Bronx High School for Medical Science is a screened school — it admits by application, ranking applicants on their course grades (4th grade for middle school, the 7th-grade core-course average for high school); a few schools add an assessment, writing sample, or interview.
- Is Bronx High School for Medical Science public, charter, or private?
- Bronx High School for Medical Science is a public school in NYC Community School District 9.
- What neighborhood is Bronx High School for Medical Science in?
- Bronx High School for Medical Science is in Mount Eden-Claremont (West), Bronx.