Fairmont Neighborhood School

Both ELA and math proficiency sit below the district 12 averages of roughly 45% and 43%, but the trajectory is the story here. From a low base in 2016, ELA has climbed steadily to 35% and math has surged to 35.5% — with math nearly catching ELA for the first time after years of lagging. The grade-level breakdown reveals where the work is happening: third graders scored just 14% in ELA and 11% in math, while fourth graders jumped to 44% ELA and 59% math, suggesting real momentum as students move up. It's a school in motion.

The day-to-day feel here is unusually calm — Fairmont reported zero suspensions for three straight years, against a district average suspension rate of about 0.4%. Teachers rate the quality of instruction at 96%, well above the district's 88%, and trust between teachers and the principal hits 98%, among the highest you'll see anywhere. The honest worry is attendance: 60.6% of students are chronically absent (missing 18 or more days), well above typical levels, which makes the academic gains even more impressive given how often kids aren't in the building. Parent satisfaction at 89% is just below district average, but parent-principal trust of 97% suggests families feel genuinely connected to leadership.

Fairmont serves a student body that is 61% Hispanic and 38% Black, with almost no other racial representation — a diversity index of just 40% reflects how concentrated the population is. The economic need index of 93 places this firmly among the city's highest-need schools, with a quarter of students classified as having IEPs. The neighborhood around the school shows a median household income around $41,000 and a poverty rate of 28.5%, so the families sending kids here largely mirror the surrounding community — this is a true neighborhood school, not a destination choice.

Crotona Park East is a working-class, predominantly renter neighborhood in the Bronx where only about 1 in 10 households own their homes, median household income sits around $41,000, and roughly 29% of residents live below the poverty line. Just 15% of households include children, and only about 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, so this is a neighborhood where many families are navigating economic pressure. The strong showing of $599,001 as a median home value reflects the broader Bronx market more than local buying power.

Families can reach the school from the 174 St station (2 5 trains) in about a 5-minute walk, with Freeman St (2 5) about 8 minutes away and Whitlock Av (6) around 11 minutes on foot.