Bushwick Ascend Charter School

Bushwick Ascend's academic record is the strongest signal on the school's profile. In 2025, 70.2% of students reached proficiency in ELA and 76.7% in math — both well above the District 32 averages of roughly 46% ELA and 43% math. The growth story is the real story here: ELA proficiency climbed from 31.8% in 2016 to 70.2% in 2025, and math from 40.6% to 76.7%, with the sharpest jump in the most recent year. Scores by grade show the upper grades (6-8) performing especially strongly, with eighth graders hitting 81.7% ELA and 84.8% math proficiency. The 2022 dip in math (down to 49.7%) and subsequent recovery suggest some pandemic-era disruption, but the trajectory is clearly upward.

The climate picture is mixed. Attendance is solid at 93.8%, slightly above the district average of 91.9%, but chronic absenteeism sits at a striking 80.9% — meaning more than four out of five students miss the threshold number of school days. That number runs notably higher for male students (83.8%) and Hispanic students (82.6%), and lower for Black students (67.3%). Parent satisfaction (78.6%) and teacher-reported instruction quality (67.6%) both trail district averages (93.2% and 86.1% respectively), suggesting that while outcomes are strong, the daily experience for families and staff may feel less warm than at traditional district schools in the area.

Bushwick Ascend's student body closely mirrors the surrounding East Bushwick community: 79% Hispanic and 16% Black, with the neighborhood showing a similar demographic profile and a 23.9% poverty rate. The school draws from a high-need population, reflected in an economic need index of 82.2, well above city medians. The diversity index is 37%, indicating that while the school serves predominantly Latino and Black families, there is meaningful heterogeneity within those groups. With 823 students across K-8, the school is larger than the typical district elementary.

East Bushwick is a working-class and immigrant-rooted corner of Brooklyn where the median household income is about $67,099 and roughly 24% of residents live below the poverty line. About 11.5% of neighborhood households include children, and 31.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Homeownership is low (20.5%), reflecting a renter-heavy area with a median home value near $949,000. The area attracts families seeking affordability relative to other parts of Brooklyn, along with a deep-rooted Latino cultural presence.

Families can reach the school via the Halsey St L stop (about a 6-minute walk) or the Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs L and M stops (about a 9-minute walk)