Community Action School - MS 258

Test scores at MS 258 lag significantly behind District 3 averages — ELA proficiency of 38% and Math at 25.3% sit well below the district's 59% and 54% respectively. The overall score of 1.27 out of 4 places this school in the lower tier. However, looking at the trend, there's been meaningful growth: Math climbed from 26.6% in 2016 to a high of 46.5% in 2023 before dipping to the current 25.3%, while ELA hovered in the high 30s to mid-40s across the same period. Grade 7 performs notably stronger (46.8% ELA, 38.5% Math) than Grade 8, which shows concerning weakness in math at just 12.5%. The school offers accelerated/honors coursework, though with a program richness score of just 34.7 out of 100, academic options are limited compared to peer schools.

The survey data tells a striking story: parents report 95% satisfaction and 95% trust in teachers, while teachers rate their own instruction quality at a perfect 100%. Trust in leadership is strong from families (91% principal trust) and decent among teachers (85%). Yet the attendance picture is troubling — an 84.9% attendance rate and 46.9% chronic absenteeism suggest many families are not fully engaged with the school day. Discipline is a genuine bright spot: zero suspensions in the past two years, a clear improvement from the 2 suspensions in 2021-22. The gap between strong survey perceptions and weak attendance figures is the defining tension here — families and teachers feel good about the school, but many students aren't showing up consistently.

With just 175 students across three grades, this is a small school with a diverse student body: 46% Hispanic, 34% Black, 14% White, 5% Asian, and 2% multi-racial. A third of students have IEPs — notably higher than typical. The diversity index of 67% reflects a population quite different from the surrounding Upper West Side, which skews wealthier and more college-educated (80% BA+). The economic need index of 76.5% indicates most families face significant financial challenges, creating a school community that serves a more vulnerable population than its neighborhood would suggest.

The Upper West Side is a family-oriented neighborhood with excellent transit (91% score), strong education orientation (95%), and abundant green space near Central Park. However, safety scores are low (24th percentile) with elevated crime density, and the health environment scores poorly (13th percentile) with notably high asthma rates. Families with children make up only 17% of households, though the neighborhood is highly stable. The contrast is stark: this is an affluent, highly educated area ($152K median income) that surrounds a school serving students with significant economic need.

Very walkable — the Upper West Side is pedestrian-friendly with strong transit access, making it accessible for families without cars