Design Works High School

Academic outcome data for this school wasn't included in the report, so we can't compare ELA or math proficiency to the district averages of 53% and 46% respectively. What is on record is a self-reported teacher instruction quality score of 81%, which sits noticeably below the district average of 87.6%. Combined with a small teacher survey response of only 14 educators, this paints a picture of an academic environment that is more of an open question than a settled strength. The school's design-themed identity likely shapes day-to-day instruction, but families looking for headline proficiency numbers won't find them here.

The survey tells the story of two different schools living under one roof. Parents love it: 95% are satisfied (above the district's 90.6% average), 97% trust teachers, and 96% trust the principal. Teachers are far less aligned — only 63% report trusting the principal, a steep drop from the parent's view, even though 98% of teachers trust one another. That internal gap is the most important signal in the climate data and worth flagging. Combined with a high family survey response rate (116 families, 74% participation), the picture is a tight, parent-driven community where teacher-leadership alignment is still a work in progress.

With grades 9 through 11 plus a special education designation, Design Works serves a smaller high school population than most neighborhood schools, and families consistently describe it as tight-knit rather than comprehensive. The school draws from Prospect Heights and adjacent Brooklyn neighborhoods that skew toward college-educated parents — 78.7% of neighborhood adults hold a bachelor's degree — and the surrounding census figures (median household income over $150,000, a 6.4% poverty rate) point to a heavily resourced family base. The small size of the school means individual classrooms likely reflect the broader cross-section of Brooklyn teens more than a single demographic profile.

Prospect Heights is one of Brooklyn's most family-popular neighborhoods, anchored by Grand Army Plaza, the Brooklyn Museum, and Prospect Park's eastern edge. The census figures paint a picture of an affluent, well-educated community: median household income above $150,000, a poverty rate under 7%, and nearly four in five adults holding a bachelor's degree. About 17% of neighborhood households have children, and homeownership hovers around 37%, reflecting the brownstone-and-conversion mix that defines the blocks around the school. Families here tend to be college-educated, transit-savvy, and plugged into the cultural life of central Brooklyn.

Three subway lines put families within a few blocks of the school — Bergen St on the 2/3 is about a three-minute walk, Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr on the B/Q is roughly five minutes, and Lafayette Av on the C is about six minutes away. Hard to beat for transit access.