I.S. 364 Gateway

Gateway's ELA proficiency of 33.1% sits roughly 16 points below the district average of about 49%, and math proficiency of 24.1% trails by about 24 points — both are significant gaps. The picture isn't static, though: math has climbed from a low of 5.5% in 2017 to 24.1% in 2024, and ELA has steadily improved from 27.5% in 2016. The most striking data point is the grade-level split — 6th graders post just 8.7% ELA and 4.5% math proficiency, while 7th graders jump to 43.9% and 47.5%. That gulf suggests the incoming 6th-grade cohort is arriving significantly underprepared, and Gateway's job is to close that gap during the middle school years. The overall school quality score of 1.14 out of 4 places Gateway well below the district average of about 1.94.

The climate numbers here are the part parents will want to sit with. Parent satisfaction sits at 56% against a district average of 91%, and teacher-reported instruction quality is 56.4% versus a district average of about 88% — both signal real friction between the school community and what families and staff are experiencing. Chronic absenteeism is high at 57.2%, meaning more than half of students miss 10% or more of the school year, which makes it hard to build momentum academically. The suspension rate of 3% is roughly double the district average and has ticked up from just 1 suspension the year prior to 4, which is something to watch. On the positive side, total suspension counts are still small in absolute terms (4), and the school's restorative practices — Peer Mediation, Restorative Circles, Mindfulness — suggest staff are trying to address behavior proactively rather than punitively.

Gateway's students are 69% Black and 18% Hispanic, with a small Asian population (9%) and very few white or multiracial students. The economic need index of 85 out of 100 means the vast majority of students come from low-income households, and 34% have IEPs — a notably high share that signals Gateway serves a population with significant learning support needs. ELL Support is offered for the small share of English learners. The student body doesn't mirror the surrounding neighborhood closely: Spring Creek-Starrett City has only 4.8% of households with children, which is unusually low and suggests many local families may have already-aged-out kids or have moved elsewhere — Gateway's families likely come from a wider catchment.

Spring Creek-Starrett City is a residential pocket of eastern Brooklyn with a median household income of about $41,167 and a poverty rate of 22.6%. Only 10.1% of households own their homes, and just 4.8% include children — this is a neighborhood with many single-adult households, retirees, or renters without kids. The 24.4% bachelor's-degree rate is below the city average, and the median home value of $476,724 reflects the area's mix of Starrett City co-ops and lower-density housing. Families at Gateway are likely traveling in from beyond the immediate blocks.

There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school, so families will need to rely on buses, school buses, or cars to get here — this is genuinely a car-or-bus neighborhood for school commutes.