At a Glance
A small Soundview elementary where quadrupled test scores and near-universal family engagement tell the same story — this school is on a serious climb.
Best suited for
Families in or near Soundview-Bruckner-Bronx River — particularly Spanish-speaking or bilingual households — looking for a small, deeply engaged elementary where the school is clearly doing the heavy lifting and parents are treated as real partners.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of NY State ELA + math proficiency, grades 3–8
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- ELA proficiency has nearly quadrupled since 2016 — one of the steepest sustained improvement curves in District 12.
- Zero suspensions combined with 99% teacher-rated instruction quality suggests a genuinely calm, well-run classroom culture.
- 96% family survey response rate is extraordinary and signals a parent body that is unusually invested.
- Both ELA and math scores now sit well above district averages — unusual for a neighborhood school serving a high-poverty community.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism is 78.4% — that's the majority of the student body missing enough school to be flagged, and worth asking the principal how they're addressing it.
- Economic need index of 90.2% means very few families have private tutoring or homework-help resources at home — the school has to do a lot.
- 4th-grade results (48.8% ELA, 43.5% math) lag behind 3rd and 5th grade — there may be a specific transition or cohort issue worth probing.
- Only 13% homeownership and low BA+ rates in the surrounding neighborhood mean fewer college-educated neighbors and a thinner informal safety net outside school walls.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 12
Bronx Little School sits comfortably above its District 12 peers — overall score 2.26/4 versus a district average of 1.76, with both ELA and math scores running 15+ percentage points above district norms. It's not a charter, and it's not flashy, but as a traditional public school it outperforms most of its neighbors.
Academics
Both ELA and math proficiency now sit well above District 12 averages — 61.1% in ELA versus a district average of 44.6%, and 51.7% in math versus 43.3%. The trajectory over the past nine years is the more striking story: ELA proficiency has nearly quadrupled since 2016, and math has roughly tripled, with a pandemic-era dip in 2022 followed by a sharp rebound. Grade-by-grade results show particular strength in 3rd grade math (75%) and 5th grade ELA (73.7%), with some unevenness in 4th grade (48.8% ELA, 43.5% math) — worth asking the principal about.
Culture
The day-to-day feel here is unusually warm and stable: 99% of teachers rate instruction quality highly, 97% of parents trust their child's teacher and the principal, and the school reported zero suspensions — rare for any public elementary. The 96% family survey response rate signals a parent body that's plugged in, not just satisfied. One real tension: chronic absenteeism sits at 78.4%, meaning more than three-quarters of students miss enough school to be flagged, even though the overall attendance rate (93.9%) looks healthy on the surface. Families should ask how the school is tackling this gap.
Community
The student body is 67% Hispanic, 16% Black, and 15% Asian, with a diversity index of 53% — a moderately diverse mix that mirrors the surrounding Bronx neighborhood. The economic need index of 90.2% means nearly every student comes from a low-income household, and 23% of students have IEPs, which is higher than the citywide elementary average. This is a school serving a deeply working-class community where most parents are first- or second-generation New Yorkers.
Neighborhood
Soundview-Bruckner-Bronx River is a working-class stretch of the Bronx with a median household income around $41,000 and roughly a third of residents living below the poverty line. Only about 15% of neighborhood adults hold a bachelor's degree, and just 13% of homes are owner-occupied — a renter-heavy area where many families are stretched but rooted. About 16% of households have children under 18, putting this solidly in family-territory.
Three subway stops serve the school: the 6 train at St Lawrence Av (about 10 minutes on foot) and Parkchester (about 9 minutes), and the 2 and 5 trains at E 180 St (about 10 minutes) — enough options that no family should be stuck with one slow commute.
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) · 300 families responded (96% rate)
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Pre-K
Bronx Little School also has Pre-K classes. They're a separate application from kindergarten, made on MySchools.
Pre-K application
Applications typically open in the winter and close in the spring, with offers in late spring; the city announces exact dates each year.
Kindergarten
Bronx Little School doesn't have an attendance zone of its own, so living nearby doesn't guarantee a seat here. Families apply on MySchools, and seats go to the school's priority groups first, then by random lottery.
Kindergarten application
- Opens
- Wed, Dec 9
- Closes
- Fri, Jan 22
- Offers
- Tue, Mar 30
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the kindergarten application.
- 2Rank this school with your zoned school, if you have one, and any others you'd take — in true preference order.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Bronx Little School a good school?
- On Motley, Bronx Little School earns an overall rating of 56/100 — 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 above the District 12 average.
- What grades does Bronx Little School serve?
- Bronx Little School serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- Is Bronx Little School public, charter, or private?
- Bronx Little School is a public school in NYC Community School District 12.
- What neighborhood is Bronx Little School in?
- Bronx Little School is in Soundview-Bruckner-Bronx River, Bronx.