At a Glance
A small Bronx middle school with a dramatic math turnaround and unusually strong teacher trust
Best suited for
Families in the Claremont Village area who want a small, relationship-driven middle school with calm discipline and teachers who feel supported — and who are comfortable with a school still building its academic profile rather than an established leader.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of NY State ELA + math proficiency, grades 3–8
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Dramatic math turnaround — proficiency went from 5.9% to 52.8% over the past decade
- Zero suspensions, with a clear downward trend from 6 to 1 to 0
- Teacher instruction quality rated at 100% — staff feel strongly about their craft
- 97% family survey response rate, showing families are highly engaged
- Small enrollment of 214 means students don't get lost
Things to consider
- ELA proficiency at 28.3% trails the district average of about 44.8%
- Chronic absenteeism is high at 81.6%, especially for girls and Black students
- Program richness score is low (19.3/100), meaning fewer electives and enrichment offerings
- 29% of students have IEPs — appropriate for families wanting strong special education support but worth noting
- Parent satisfaction (87%) is below the district average of 94%
- Peer schools in the district include high-performing charters like Icahn and Success Academy, which may compete for the same families
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 9
District 9 has some of the city's most celebrated charter options — Icahn, Success Academy, Bronx Charter for Excellence — which together draw motivated families away from zoned schools. Against those peers, I.S. 339's overall score of 1.62/4 sits a bit below the district average of 1.79, and below the charter leaders. But the school's trajectory is genuinely different from most district peers, and the climate data suggests a very different kind of experience than a charter campus.
Academics
Math is the headline: proficiency jumped from 5.9% in 2016 to 52.8% in 2025, putting I.S. 339 meaningfully above the district average of about 44.7%. ELA tells a bumpier story — it climbed into the high 20s and low 30s over the past four years but sits below the district average of roughly 44.8%. The growth scores by grade are also revealing: eighth graders post 65.6% math proficiency, suggesting the gains compound as students move through the school. Overall, this is a school in transformation rather than at a finish line.
Culture
The day-to-day feel here reads genuinely warm. Teacher instruction quality is rated at 100% and teacher-principal trust at 99%, which is an unusually strong combination — staff feel supported and believe in their instructional work. Family trust in teachers (84%) and the principal (88%) is solid, though parent satisfaction (87%) lags the district average of 94%. Zero suspensions over 2023-24 (down from 6 in 2021-22) signals a calm, well-managed building. Attendance at 93.3% actually beats the district average.
Community
The student body is 66% Hispanic and 34% Black, with a 29% IEP population — notably higher than average — and ELL support available. These demographics reflect the surrounding neighborhood, where poverty rates are high and college attainment is low. The school serves as a real anchor for families in a community that doesn't have a lot of extra resources.
Neighborhood
Claremont Village-Claremont (East) is a working-class Bronx neighborhood where median household income is $30,475 and the poverty rate is 44.1%. Only about 11% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, and homeownership is rare at 2.7%. Despite those challenges, the area is family-rooted enough that a school like I.S. 339 can build long-term relationships with the same families year after year.
Most families reach the school on foot or via bus. The nearest subways are the B and D lines at 174-175 Sts or 170 St, both about a 10-minute walk. Tremont Av on the B and D is around a 14-minute walk.
Academic Performance
ELA Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State ELA exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Math Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Math exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Science Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Science exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Historical Trends
The dashed line marks 2023, when New York changed its grades 3–8 state tests. Scores before and after it aren’t directly comparable.
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 162 families responded (97% rate)
Programs & Activities
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Middle school (6th grade)
Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. I.S. 339 admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- School of Communication Technology (M.S. 339)Unscreened122 seats
Middle school application
- Opened
- Wed, Oct 14
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 11
- Offers
- Wed, Apr 7
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
- 2Unscreened programs fill by random lottery among the families who rank them.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is I.S. 339 a good school?
- On Motley, I.S. 339 earns an overall rating of 41/100 — the average of the school's New York State ELA and math proficiency, grades 3–8, shown out of 100. Its state test results run in line with the District 9 average.
- What grades does I.S. 339 serve?
- I.S. 339 serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into I.S. 339?
- I.S. 339 admits by application through a random lottery, with no academic screen.
- Is I.S. 339 public, charter, or private?
- I.S. 339 is a public school in NYC Community School District 9.
- What neighborhood is I.S. 339 in?
- I.S. 339 is in Claremont Village-Claremont (East), Bronx.