East Brooklyn Ascend Charter School

This is one of the more striking academic turnarounds in the district. ELA proficiency climbed from 33% in 2023 to 78% in 2025, and math went from 43% to 85% over the same period — far above District 19 averages of roughly 49% in both subjects. Grade 3 and Grade 4 results are strong across the board, with math in Grade 3 reaching nearly 89%. The school's overall score of 3.24 out of 4 sits well above the district average of 1.94, marking it as a clear outperformer.

Daily attendance is solid at 95.5%, comfortably above the district's 89.9% average, which suggests families who enroll tend to show up. The reported chronic absenteeism figure of 86.5% is unusual and seems inconsistent with that strong attendance rate — it's the kind of number parents should ask the school directly about at any tour. Day-to-day culture signals like parent satisfaction, safety, and discipline approach aren't reported in the data we have, so those conversations will matter.

The student body is about half Hispanic and 44% Black, with an economic need index of 86.5 — meaning most families qualify for free or reduced lunch. About 17% of students have IEPs, slightly above typical. The neighborhood around the school, Cypress Hills, has a median household income around $66,000 and a poverty rate near 18%, so the families attending closely mirror the surrounding community. This isn't a school importing middle-class families from elsewhere — it's serving its own block.

Cypress Hills is a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood where about a fifth of households have kids under 18, homeownership sits at roughly a third, and a little over 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. Median home values near $659,000 reflect the broader Brooklyn market more than the local income, which tells you something about who has been able to stay as prices have climbed. The area is family-dense and racially mixed, with a long-standing Latino and Caribbean presence alongside Black and newer immigrant families.

Three subway options are within a short walk: Cleveland St on the J about 4 minutes away, and Norwood Av (J, Z) and Shepherd Av (C) each around a 6-minute walk.