J.H.S. 144 Michelangelo

This is a school in motion rather than a settled one. ELA proficiency climbed from 17.5% in 2016 to 47.2% in 2025 — a near-tripling — though it still sits roughly 9 points below the District 11 average of about 57%. Math tells a similar story: 8.9% in 2016 to 41.8% in 2025, but the district average is closer to 56%, so real ground remains to be covered. The trajectory is clearly improving, especially after a strong math rebound from a 2022 dip. Within the building, eighth graders post the strongest ELA numbers (57.8%), suggesting students pick up real skills as they move through the grades.

The day-to-day environment here reads as unusually positive. Parent-teacher and parent-principal trust both sit at 99%, parent satisfaction at 95%, and teachers rate instruction quality at 99% — all well above district averages. There were zero suspensions in 2023-24, the second consecutive year without one, which is rare among comparable Bronx middle schools. The catch: chronic absenteeism runs at 61.5%, with female students (65.7%) and Asian students (81.5%, though a small subgroup) missing the most days, and overall attendance at 90.1% sits just below the district average. Survey response rates were modest (34% of families), so the glowing trust scores reflect the families most engaged with the school — but a building where nobody's getting suspended and parents overwhelmingly feel heard is doing something right.

The student body is roughly 53% Black, 37% Hispanic, 6% Asian, and small white, multiracial, and Native American shares — a mostly African American and Latino school by enrollment. About a quarter of students have IEPs and ELL support is offered, reflecting a mix of learning needs the school actively serves. The neighborhood around Pelham Gardens skews somewhat different: median household income near $90,000, 56% homeownership, and 13% poverty — solid working- and middle-class blocks where many residents own their homes. This is a true neighborhood school, drawing mostly from its immediate area.

Pelham Gardens is a stable, family-anchored stretch of the eastern Bronx where the median household income sits near $90,000 and a majority of residents own their homes — higher than the borough norm. About 15% of households have children under 18 and roughly a third of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, giving the area a quieter, settled feel rather than a bustling one. Families raising kids here tend to stay put, and that stability shows up in the school's enrollment.

From the 5 train at Gun Hill Road the walk runs about 14 minutes, and from the 6 train at Pelham Bay Park roughly 19 minutes — neither stop is at the school's door, but both are reachable on foot in good weather.