Evergreen Middle School for Urban Exploration

Let's be clear: Evergreen's test scores — 36.5% ELA and 36.6% math — sit below the district averages of 45.9% and 43.2%. That gap matters. But context matters too: in 2016, this school was at 8.5% ELA and 2.5% math. The climb to where they are now represents genuine, hard-won growth, particularly in math which jumped from 14.6% in 2022 to 33.4% in 2024 before settling at 36.6%. Grade 7 is the standout — 55.5% math proficiency — while Grade 8 shows strong ELA at 41.3% but lags in math at 21.9%, suggesting the math program has improved more recently than reading. The overall quality score of 1.46/4 (district average 1.78) reflects a school that's still in recovery mode, not a school that's arrived.

This is where Evergreen really shines — and it's not close. Parents give 96% satisfaction, 97% trust teachers, and 95% trust the principal. Teachers themselves rate instruction quality at 94% and trust in leadership at 92%. These numbers are well above district averages and suggest a school where people genuinely like working and families feel heard. Attendance is strong at 95.9% (above district average), though chronic absenteeism at 90.7% is worth watching — that likely captures students who miss significant chunks, even if they show up most days. Discipline is minimal: just 5 suspensions (1% rate), down from 6 the prior year. The day-to-day feel here seems to be low-ego, relationship-first, with real investment from both staff and families.

Evergreen serves 346 students in a building that reflects its neighborhood: 79% Hispanic, 19% Black, 22% with IEPs. The economic need index of 89.7% tells you these are families navigating real financial pressure. Class sizes average 20.8, matching the district, and the diversity index sits at 34%. What you see is a school that's deeply embedded in its working-class Bushwick community — not a school pulling from across the borough. The 68% family survey response rate with 237 responses suggests strong parent engagement, not just passive enrollment.

East Bushwick is a transit dream (89.66 score) but a safety concern (23.75 score). The neighborhood has seen rapid gentrification pushing median home values to $949,127, yet 23.9% poverty and only 20.5% homeownership mean most families here are renting and vulnerable to displacement. There's high family density (82.76) — you're surrounded by kids and parents — but the safety metrics (crime density of 3,600, elevated lead rates at 21.2%) are things parents weigh. What the neighborhood lacks in calm streets it makes up for in community texture: this is a place where extended families cluster, where the corner stores know your kids' names, where the neighborhood feels like a village.

Very walkable and transit-accessible — the 89.66 transit score means multiple subway and bus options are within easy reach, making this a realistic commute for families without cars.