City College Magnet School of the Arts

ELA proficiency lands at 48.5%, essentially matching the district 6 average of about 47% — a meaningful recovery from a low of 39% in 2022. Math is the weaker subject at 40.2%, running about 12 percentage points below the district average of 52%, though it's climbed back sharply from a pandemic-era floor of 13.9%. Scores vary dramatically by grade: 8th graders post strong results in both subjects (56.3% ELA, 63.4% math), while incoming 6th and 7th graders arrive with weaker math proficiency (31.8% and 27.1%). The school's overall quality score of 1.77/4 sits below the district average of 1.98/4, which is honest information for families weighing academic rigor against extracurricular richness.

The day-to-day feel is warm and tight-knit. Parent satisfaction sits at 92% (a touch below the district average of 94%), and parent trust in teachers and the principal is unusually high at 93% and 94% respectively — families clearly feel heard. Teachers report 90% confidence in instructional quality, matching the district norm, with strong principal-teacher trust at 89%. With zero suspensions last year and teacher-reported safety alignment with district norms, discipline isn't an issue. The one red flag is chronic absenteeism at 73.5% — nearly three of every four students miss enough school to be flagged — even though the attendance rate itself is a healthy 92%.

This is a school that reflects its neighborhood almost mirror-image: 94% Hispanic enrollment in a census tract where the broader population has a 14% poverty rate and a median household income around $77,000. The diversity index of 17% is low — most students come from similar cultural and linguistic backgrounds, which is a strength for cultural cohesion but means limited racial and ethnic mixing. About 19% of students have IEPs and the economic need index of 84.1 indicates most families qualify for free lunch, pointing to genuine need alongside genuine community pride.

Washington Heights (North) is a family-rooted, working- and middle-class stretch of upper Manhattan where about 13% of households include children and roughly 42% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median home values around $575,000 and a homeownership rate near 17.5% tell a story of a renter-heavy community with real but modest wealth-building. The area has a distinct cultural identity — bodegas, family-run businesses, weekend dominoes in the park — that extends directly into the school community.

Families have multiple subway options within a short walk. The Dyckman St 1 train is about 5 minutes on foot, the 190 St A train station is around 6 minutes, and Dyckman St on the A line is roughly 7 minutes away — making car-free commutes realistic for most of upper Manhattan and the Bronx.