Family Life Academy Charter School II

The school's ELA proficiency of 55.6% edges above the district average of about 51%, but math proficiency at 44.2% trails the district average of 49%. The historical trend is the more striking story: ELA proficiency has dropped from 91.6% in 2016 to 55.6% in 2025, and math has fallen from 78.1% to 44.2% — a meaningful decline that suggests real shifts in performance, student population, or both. Grade-level data shows the inconsistency clearly: Grade 4 students post 87.2% ELA and 87.5% math proficiency, comparable to the strongest charters in the district, but Grade 8 math plummets to just 16.3%. The school appears to build a strong foundation in early elementary that doesn't always carry through to middle school, particularly in math.

The attendance rate of 89.6% sits below the district average of 91.1%, and the chronic absenteeism rate of 60.2% is high — meaning more than half of students miss 10% or more of school days. Black students face the highest chronic absenteeism at 68.9%, followed by female students at 62.2%. This level of absenteeism likely contributes to the dip in test scores, particularly in older grades where instructional gaps compound. The school serves a population facing significant economic pressure, and getting kids in the door consistently is an ongoing challenge. Average class size of 20.5 is right at the district average, so class size itself isn't the issue.

The student body is 73% Hispanic and 25% Black, with a diversity index of just 37% — meaning most students share a similar background. This mirrors the Mott Haven-Port Morris neighborhood, where the population is heavily Latino and working-class. Eleven percent of students have IEPs, and the economic need index of 87.3 means nearly nine in ten students come from low-income families. It's a school that reflects its community rather than drawing from a wide cross-section of the city.

Mott Haven-Port Morris is one of the South Bronx's most working-class neighborhoods, with a median household income of $29,110 and a poverty rate of 40.1%. Only 6.1% of households own their homes, and just 12.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher — a community shaped by renting, immigrant roots, and economic pressure. Families with children make up about 12.2% of households. The median home value of $819,494 reflects the area's rapid market shift despite the income profile, a tension common in this part of the Bronx.

The school is well-connected by subway. The 6 train at 3 Av-138 St is about a two-minute walk, the 4 and 5 trains at 138 St-Grand Concourse are roughly six minutes away, and the 2 and 5 trains at 149 St-Grand Concourse are about a ten-minute walk. Most families in the area commute by transit.