Frederick Douglass Academy

Test scores here have been volatile — ELA climbed from 21% in 2016 to 36% in 2025, while math swung from 11% down to 6% before reaching 19% this year. Both remain well below the district averages of 54% and 51%. Grade 7 stands out with 55% ELA proficiency, but grades 6 and 8 lag significantly behind. The overall 1.11 score on the 4-point scale reflects how far the school sits from district benchmarks — about a full point below the district average of 2.09.

Parents report strong trust in teachers and the principal (both 85% satisfaction), and teachers rate collegial trust at 83%. However, teacher instruction quality scores 79% versus the district average of 88%, and only 20 teachers completed the survey. The school reports zero suspensions — a notable achievement given the district average of 1.2%. The attendance rate of 91.4% looks solid, but the 71.9% chronic absenteeism rate is a serious concern, meaning most students miss significant school time.

The student body is predominantly Black (63%) and Hispanic (32%), mirroring the surrounding Harlem neighborhood. Nearly 87% of students qualify for economic need support, and 23% have IEPs — both well above average. Despite the high-needs population, parent satisfaction matches the district average at 85%, though family survey response was low at 11%.

Central Harlem is a transit-rich, family-dense neighborhood with strong education orientation (65.9 percentile). However, safety scores are very low (1.53 percentile), and environmental health indicators raise concerns: elevated lead rates, high asthma emergency department visits (155 per 10,000), and significant air pollution (PM2.5). Median household income is $54,704 with a 25.5% poverty rate and only 12.6% homeownership.

The neighborhood scores very high on transit (95.79 percentile), making it accessible by subway from most of Manhattan. Families walking to school navigate a pedestrian-heavy area with strong neighborhood presence.