Bronx High School for Writing and Communication Arts

Specific ELA and Math proficiency scores for this school aren't included in our data, so a direct comparison to the district's 57% ELA and 56% Math averages isn't possible here. What stands out instead is the program's breadth for a school this size: AP courses, arts, ELL support, Spanish, and a 10-sport athletics lineup earn the school a 76.2 program richness score. Average class size of 23.8 sits right at the district average.

Zero suspensions is a real bright spot — well below the district average suspension rate of about 0.49%. But the survey numbers tell a more uneven story: parent satisfaction lands at 87.2% (solid, but below the district average of about 93%), while teacher-reported instruction quality sits at 72.8% — roughly 20 points below the district average of 92.4%. That gap between how parents and teachers experience the school is worth pressing on at a tour.

The student body is roughly half Hispanic (49%) and just over two-fifths Black (43%), with smaller shares of Asian, white, and multiracial students. This closely mirrors the surrounding Williamsbridge-Olinville neighborhood, which has a poverty rate of 22.5% and a median household income just over $55,000. The school's 87.2% economic need index confirms most families qualify for additional support, and 25% of students have IEPs — a meaningfully higher share than at many schools.

Williamsbridge-Olinville is a mostly-renter neighborhood (31% homeownership) with a median home value around $518,000 and just over 20% of adults holding a bachelor's degree. About 14% of households include children, modest but enough to support several neighborhood schools. The local economy is working-class, with a poverty rate of 22.5%.

Families have three nearby 2/5 line stops: Gun Hill Rd (about a 7-minute walk), Burke Av (about an 8-minute walk), and 219 St (about a 13-minute walk).