Frederick Douglass Academy II Secondary School

Test scores here are significantly below the District 3 average—ELA proficiency of 34.8% and math at 17.5% compared to district averages of 59% and 54% respectively. The school's overall score of 1.05 out of 4 places it near the bottom of the district. Looking at the historical trend, progress has been uneven: math scores have seesawed between single digits and the low 20s over the past decade, while ELA climbed from 23% in 2016 to a high of 37.5% in 2022 before settling at current levels. Grade 6 shows stronger ELA performance at 50%, suggesting early intervention may be working, but the middle and high school grades face an uphill climb. The school offers AP courses and accelerated/honors tracks, but with these proficiency levels, many students are likely catching up rather than advancing through accelerated content.

The survey data reveals a school with notably strong relationships between families, teachers, and leadership—parent satisfaction and trust scores all hover between 88-93%, and teachers report 96% instruction quality. However, there's a striking disconnect: the attendance rate of 95.7% is actually above district average, yet chronic absenteeism sits at a troubling 88.3%, suggesting many students are present but frequently missing instructional time. Male students and Black students show higher chronic absenteeism rates (92.1%) compared to females (81.8%) and Hispanic students (75%). The most remarkable finding is zero suspensions—a significant achievement in a district where the average suspension rate is nearly 0.4%. This suggests either exceptionally effective behavior management or a very different disciplinary approach. Teacher trust in leadership (87%) and collegial trust (80%) are solid though slightly lower than family trust, indicating some operational tension that doesn't appear to spill into the classroom.

The student body is predominantly Black (60%) and Hispanic (33%), reflecting the neighborhood demographics. With 91.8% economic need index and 29% IEP students, this serves one of the highest-need populations in District 3. The diversity index of 52% indicates moderate demographic variety, though the school is far less white than the district average. Family survey response rate was only 12% (37 responses), so while the trust scores are high, they represent a subset of families. The school's small enrollment of 351 students allows for a intimate community feel, though it also means limited course offerings due to scale.

Harlem (South) is a transit-rich neighborhood with a 98.85 percentile score—getting here via public transit is extremely convenient. The area has strong education orientation (76.25 percentile) and family density (95.4 percentile), meaning lots of families with children in the area. However, the safety score of 1.15 percentile is notably low, indicating elevated crime density and environmental health concerns including high asthma rates and lead exposure risk. Homeownership is low at 18.2%, reflecting the rental-heavy character of this urban neighborhood. Median home values are high at $1.3 million, but median household income sits at $68,758 with a 20.3% poverty rate—indicating significant economic diversity and some displacement pressure.

Excellent transit access makes this school reachable by subway from much of Manhattan and the Bronx; families without cars are well-served by nearby train lines