Icahn Charter School 4

Proficiency rates here are exceptional: 95.5% in ELA, 95.5% in math, and 94.7% in science, compared to District 11 averages of roughly 57% in ELA and 56% in math. The trajectory is clearly upward — ELA proficiency climbed from 79.7% in 2016 to 95.5% in 2025, with math rising from 88.3% to 95.5% over the same span. By middle school the results are essentially ceiling-bound, with 100% proficiency in both subjects at grades 6 and 7.

The survey picture is nearly flawless: 100% parent satisfaction, 100% parent-principal and parent-teacher trust, 100% teacher-reported safety, and 99% teacher-reported instruction quality. The day-to-day experience for engaged families and teachers is clearly strong. However, 81.4% chronic absenteeism is unusually high — more than 8 in 10 students miss 10% or more of the school year — even though the overall attendance rate of 93.8% sits above the district average. That's a meaningful gap between the families who show up and the broader student body that parents should know about.

With 314 students in K-8 and an average class size of about 24, this is a mid-sized charter where most students are Black (61%) or Hispanic (31%), with smaller Asian, White, multiracial, and Native American populations. The economic need index of 58.8 reflects a working-class to lower-middle-class mix, and 11% of students have IEPs. The student body draws from Morris Park and surrounding Bronx neighborhoods, with a family survey response rate of 91% — unusually high engagement from the families who are present.

Morris Park is a middle-income Bronx neighborhood where median household income is around $75,500, about 11.6% of residents live in poverty, and 37.8% of households own their homes. A third of adults hold a bachelor's degree, and 15.3% of households include children — a relatively family-present community. The school sits in a part of the Bronx where car ownership and bus commutes tend to be more practical than subway trips, which matters given the walking distances below.

Getting here by subway takes planning — Pelham Pkwy on the 5 line is about a 14-minute walk, with Gun Hill Rd (5) about 19 minutes and Buhre Av (6) about 18 minutes on foot.