Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School

Test scores at Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School are strong by any measure — 74.5% ELA and 64% math proficiency both exceed the District 15 averages (65.5% and 63.3% respectively). The school’s overall quality rating of 2.77 out of 4 also sits above the district average of 2.58. Looking at grade-level performance, sixth graders perform highest (77.2% ELA, 76.5% math), while eighth grade shows a notable dip (69.9% ELA, 50.9% math), suggesting the school may be more effective at building foundational skills than maintaining momentum through middle school. The school has also shown significant improvement over time — ELA proficiency grew from 36.9% in 2016 to the low-mid 70s by 2022, though the past three years show some stabilization rather than continued growth.

The school’s survey data reveals a striking disconnect between parent and teacher perspectives on leadership. Parents report extremely high trust in teachers (95%) and the principal (93%), with 92% overall satisfaction — all above district averages. Teachers themselves rate instruction quality nearly perfect at 98%, indicating strong classroom practice. However, teacher-principal trust sits at only 56%, a significant red flag that suggests tension between staff and leadership that doesn’t register in parent surveys. The school doesn’t report suspension data, so discipline approach is not easily assessed from the available metrics.

The student body demographics are notably different from typical District 15 charters: 48% white, 32% Hispanic, 9% Black, 9% multiracial, and only 3% Asian. This is a nearly inverse composition compared to nearby traditional district schools. The diversity index of 69% is moderate, and with 21% of students having IEPs, the school does serve some students with special needs. The economic need index of 27.2% is relatively low, suggesting most families are not facing significant financial hardship — consistent with the neighborhood’s high median income and low poverty rate.

Windsor Terrace-South Slope is a family-dense neighborhood with strong education orientation (78.93 percentile) and a high rate of households with children (26.2%). The area is affluent, with a median home value over $1.2 million and median household income above $138,000. Transit access is decent (65th percentile), though not as connected as deeper Brooklyn neighborhoods. Safety scores are moderate (55th percentile), and the neighborhood has lower health environment scores (35th percentile), partly driven by air quality concerns typical of urban settings. Families will find good access to parks and neighborhood retail, with a community feel that’s retained much of its residential character despite rapid gentrification.

The neighborhood is walkable and family-friendly, with many families walking or biking to school. The area is well-served by local buses, and the school is accessible from several subway lines within a 10-15 minute walk.