At a Glance
A middle school where writing drove a turnaround and zero suspensions tells the real story
Best suited for
Concourse-area families looking for a neighborhood middle school with a calm disciplinary climate, a real writing-and-arts identity, and teachers who feel well-supported — especially families who'll lean into the literacy focus and stay engaged with attendance.
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
- Zero suspensions for three consecutive years — exceptionally rare for a middle school of this size
- ELA proficiency has roughly tripled since 2016, one of the more dramatic academic turnarounds in District 9
- A clear writing-and-arts identity, reinforced by drama, film, performing arts, debate, and a book club
- Restorative Circles and a Saturday Academy suggest a wraparound approach to keeping kids engaged and supported
- Teacher instruction quality rated at 93%, above the district average of 90%
Things to consider
- Math proficiency at 31.4% is well below the district average of 44.7% — a real gap, even with recent improvement
- Chronic absenteeism at 64.6% means many students are missing substantial school, which drags on everything else
- Parent satisfaction at 87% trails the district's 94%, even though specific trust scores are high — worth asking current families about
- This is a neighborhood zoned school, not a screened or selective program — admissions are unscreened
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 9
District 9 is dominated on the rankings by high-performing charters like Icahn and Success Academy, and Bronx Writing Academy sits below those peers in overall score. But as a zoned neighborhood option, its ELA gains, zero-suspension culture, and high teacher trust are genuinely notable within the traditional public school landscape.
Academics
ELA proficiency of 48.8% lands above the district average of about 44.8%, and the trajectory is genuinely striking — from 15.9% in 2016 to 48.8% today, a near-tripling over nine years. Math tells a more uneven story: at 31.4%, it's well below the district average of 44.7%, though it has rebounded sharply from a low of 6.6% in 2022. By grade, 6th and 8th graders hit 50% in ELA while 7th graders trail slightly, suggesting a dip in the middle year that the school may want to look at.
Culture
The day-to-day feel here is calm and unusually trusting. Zero suspensions over three consecutive years is rare for any middle school, and parent-principal trust at 95% and teacher-principal trust at 92% suggest leadership that families and staff believe in. Teacher-rated instruction quality (93%) beats the district average of about 90%, reinforcing the picture of a staff that feels supported. Two flags worth naming: parent satisfaction sits at 87% — below the district's 94% — and chronic absenteeism runs high at 64.6%, meaning a lot of kids are missing a lot of school even though daily attendance looks average.
Community
The student body is 70% Hispanic and 26% Black, with small Asian and White populations — a near-mirror of the surrounding Concourse neighborhood, where the median household income is just over $40,000 and a third of residents live in poverty. About a quarter of students have IEPs and the school runs ELL support, so it's serving a population with real and varied academic needs. This is a true zoned neighborhood school — the families in the building are the families on the block.
Neighborhood
Concourse-Concourse Village is a working-class, transit-rich part of the Bronx where most residents rent rather than own — the homeownership rate is just 11.1%, and the median home value sits at $350,487. About 13.7% of households include children, and only 15.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, so the families sending kids here are often navigating tight budgets and busy lives. The neighborhood is dense and walkable, with multiple subway lines converging within a few blocks of the school.
The school is about a 5-minute walk from the 167 St B/D stop, roughly 9 minutes from the 167 St 4 train, and around 11 minutes from the 170 St B/D — families have three subway options within easy reach.
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
Science Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Science 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) · 51 families responded (28% rate)
Programs & Activities
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
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 Writing Academy admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Bronx Writing AcademyUnscreened130 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.
- 2Unscreened programs fill by random lottery among the families who rank them.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
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 Writing Academy a good school?
- On Motley, Bronx Writing Academy earns an overall rating of 40/100 — 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 in line with the District 9 average.
- What grades does Bronx Writing Academy serve?
- Bronx Writing Academy serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into Bronx Writing Academy?
- Bronx Writing Academy admits by application through a random lottery, with no academic screen.
- Is Bronx Writing Academy public, charter, or private?
- Bronx Writing Academy is a public school in NYC Community School District 9.
- What neighborhood is Bronx Writing Academy in?
- Bronx Writing Academy is in Concourse-Concourse Village, Bronx.