Heketi Community Charter School

Heketi's proficiency rates sit below District 7 averages — 37.4% in ELA versus the district's 51.3%, and 45.8% in math versus 49.0%. But the trajectory tells a different and more hopeful story: ELA proficiency rose from 23.9% in 2016 to 37.4% in 2019, and math climbed from 30.9% to 45.8% over the same period, with particularly strong gains in the most recent year shown. Grade 4 is a real bright spot — 71.8% math proficiency is well above district average — while Grade 3 results lag noticeably, suggesting strong instruction in the upper elementary years.

The day-to-day picture is mixed. Daily attendance at 91% matches the district average, but chronic absenteeism is very high at 67.1% — meaning more than two-thirds of students miss enough school to be flagged, and that figure climbs to 78.7% for Black students. Parent satisfaction (78.4%) and teacher-reported instruction quality (72.2%) both trail district averages by wide margins. The combination suggests a school community where families and staff are less bought-in than at most peer schools, even as academic results climb.

Heketi's student body reflects its South Bronx setting — predominantly Black and Hispanic students drawn from Mott Haven-Port Morris and adjacent blocks. The neighborhood's median income of around $29,000 and 40% poverty rate tell you most families here are navigating tight financial circumstances, and the fact that only 12.2% of neighborhood households include children under 18 suggests families with school-age kids are a meaningful but not majority presence in the area. The school serves as an anchor for those families who do have young children in this part of the Bronx.

Mott Haven-Port Morris is one of the South Bronx's most densely populated, lowest-income neighborhoods — the median household income is around $29,000, more than 40% of residents live below the poverty line, and only about 12% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. Homeownership is rare at just 6.1%, meaning nearly every family here rents, though the median home value of roughly $820,000 hints at the rapid appreciation and gentrification pressure reshaping parts of the South Bronx. Despite the economic headwinds, it's a neighborhood with deep roots and an active street life.

The 6 train serves three nearby stations — E 143 St-St Mary's St about a 3-minute walk, Cypress Av about a 7-minute walk, and E 149 St about an 8-minute walk — making the school one of the more subway-accessible options in the area.