Explore Excel Charter School

Explore Excel's 57.2% ELA proficiency sits just below the District 18 average of 58.4%, while its 63% math proficiency edges above the district's 61.4%. The story is really the trajectory: ELA proficiency rose from 27.2% in 2016 to 57.2% in 2025, and math climbed from 36.9% to 63% over the same period. The dip during the 2022 pandemic year (36.5% ELA, 29.4% math) was real, but recovery has been steady since. Scores by grade are uneven — 4th grade leads with 62% ELA and 78.4% math, while 3rd grade ELA lags at 46.8% — which suggests the school's academic program strengthens as students move up rather than coasting on early gains.

The survey data here is one of the school's strongest assets. Teacher-reported safety is 99% (well above the district's 96%), teacher trust in the principal sits at 96%, and 95% of teachers rate instruction quality positively — all of which exceed district averages. Parent satisfaction is 95%, with parent-teacher and parent-principal trust both at 96%. The day-to-day picture is of a tight-knit staff culture where teachers feel supported by leadership and families feel heard. The one thing parents should know is that chronic absenteeism runs high at 79.9% of students, meaning most kids miss enough school to be flagged — even though the daily attendance rate of 93.7% is above average. That gap suggests many students are showing up consistently while a smaller group is missing large chunks of school, which can drag on classroom momentum.

The student body is 90% Black, with small shares of Hispanic (5%), Asian (1%), White (1%), and other students — a diversity index of just 25%, one of the more homogeneous profiles in the district. The school draws from Canarsie's predominantly Black, working- and middle-class community, where median household income is $82,184 and homeownership sits at 50.5%. The economic need index of 70.3 means most families qualify for free or reduced lunch, and 18% of students have IEPs. The family survey response rate of 55% is solid for a charter and suggests families are engaged enough to weigh in regularly.

Canarsie is a predominantly Black, homeowner-heavy neighborhood in southeastern Brooklyn where the median home value is around $688,000 and about half of households own their homes. The median household income of $82,184 is solidly middle class, though the 12.8% poverty rate and 28.7% college-degree rate suggest a mix of stable working-class families and households under real financial pressure. About 14.6% of households here have children, and the school serves a community where grandparents, aunts, uncles, and older siblings often play a role in getting kids to school.

The school is a roughly 9-minute walk from the Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway L train stop, with East 105th Street (also on the L) about 15 minutes away. The L is the only subway line serving this part of Brooklyn, so most commuting families rely on it, the bus network, or car.