DREAM Charter School East Harlem

Both subjects sit far above District 4 averages — ELA at 78.2% vs. about 49.8% districtwide, math at 73.8% vs. about 45.2%. The school's overall score of 3.04 out of 4 is roughly 60% higher than the district average of 1.9. Grades 3 through 5 are the engine: Grade 3 ELA hits 94.8%, Grade 5 ELA 93.4%, and Grade 4 math 86.7%. Middle school scores are still strong in ELA but uneven — Grade 8 math drops to 36.7%, a sharp dip that's worth asking about directly. The eight-year trend is one of the more dramatic turnarounds in the area: ELA moved from 38.1% in 2016 to 78.2% in 2025, and math from 47.8% to 73.8%.

The survey numbers here are striking. Parent satisfaction is 95%, parent-teacher trust 96%, and 100% of respondents say the school has strong relationships — all several points above district averages. Teachers report 94% safety (vs. about 87% districtwide) and 91% instruction quality. Twenty-one teachers responded, which is a small sample, but the pattern lines up with what families are saying. The one tension is attendance: daily attendance is a healthy 90.5%, but chronic absenteeism sits at 61.4%, meaning most students have missed enough school to be flagged. That's not unusual in high-poverty schools, but it does cut into instructional time.

Roughly 57% Hispanic and 37% Black, with small shares of White, Asian, multiracial, and Native American students — a student body that closely mirrors the surrounding East Harlem neighborhood. The economic need index of 88 means nearly nine in ten students are considered economically disadvantaged, and 28% have IEPs, which is notably higher than the citywide rate. With 935 students across PK through 8th grade, this is a sizable school, though average class size of 20.1 is right at the district norm.

East Harlem (South) is a working-class, majority-renter neighborhood with a median household income around $44,000 and a poverty rate of about 29.5%. Only 7.8% of residents own their homes, though those who do sit on properties valued around $828,000 — a split that captures the neighborhood's mix of longtime residents and newer arrivals. About 8.6% of households include children, and 37.9% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Three subway options within a roughly ten-minute walk: the 6 train at 103rd Street (about 4 minutes), the Q at 96th Street (about 8 minutes), and the 6 at 110th Street (about 9 minutes).