At a Glance
A tight-knit Bushwick middle school where families stay loyal even as test scores climb from a low base
Best suited for
Families who want a small, screened middle school in Bushwick with a trusted principal and stable staff — and who are willing to supplement academics at home given the proficiency gap to the district average.
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
- Math proficiency has nearly tripled since 2016, one of the steeper climbs in District 32
- Parent-teacher trust at 97% and parent satisfaction at 94% outpace most neighborhood middle schools
- Exceptionally low suspension rate of 2%, half what the typical district school posts
- Small enrollment of 300 means staff likely know every student by name
- Screened admissions process, unusual for a District 32 middle school
Things to consider
- ELA and math proficiency remain roughly 14 points below district averages — kids may need extra support outside school
- Chronic absenteeism at 74.4% means three of every four students miss enough school to be flagged, even if attendance on a given day looks fine
- Program richness score of 34.7/100 suggests a fairly lean extracurricular offering compared to better-resourced middle schools
- Low diversity index (31%) means your child won't encounter much racial or ethnic variety in the classroom
- 8th grade math proficiency drops to 23.3% — the strongest cohort by ELA is the weakest by math
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 32
District 32 middle schools run the gamut from elite screened programs to charter networks that post much stronger proficiency numbers — Willoughby's overall score of 1.21/4 sits below the district average of 1.78/4, and trails behind peer schools like P.S. 376 and the local Success Academy and Ascend charters. It is not a standout by the numbers, but it does post above-average parent trust and below-average suspension rates, which count for something.
Academics
ELA proficiency at 32% and math at 28.7% both run well below District 32 averages of roughly 46% and 43% — students here are catching up, not leading. But the trend is the more interesting story: math proficiency has climbed from 9.5% in 2016 to 28.7% in 2025, a near-tripling that's hard to ignore. ELA has been bumpier but hit its highest point on record this year at 32%. Eighth graders post the strongest ELA results (40%), suggesting growth builds as students move through the school. Science proficiency of 45.9% is the school's strongest subject area.
Culture
The trust signals here are striking: 97% of parents trust their child's teacher and 95% trust the principal, well above what most Brooklyn middle schools pull off. Teacher collegial trust at 93% and teacher-principal trust at 95% suggest a faculty that actually works well together. Day-to-day feels orderly — only 5 suspensions last year (2% rate, lower than the district), and attendance runs slightly above average at 92.8%. The chronic absenteeism number of 74.4% looks alarming on paper, but reflects the post-pandemic reality across NYC rather than anything specific to this building.
Community
This is overwhelmingly a Latino school — 87% Hispanic, with small Black, Asian, and White populations — in a Bushwick neighborhood that mirrors that makeup. The economic need index of 88% means most families qualify for free lunch, and 22% of students have IEPs. The school draws from a working-class community where the median household income sits around $86,760 and roughly one in five households lives below the poverty line. With only 300 students, the community feels more like an extended family than a typical middle school.
Neighborhood
Bushwick is a predominantly renter neighborhood — only about 11% of households own their homes — and families with children make up just under 11% of households. Nearly half of adult residents hold a bachelor's degree, and the area has the kind of density and street life that's typical of Bushwick's western edge. Median home values around $882,000 reflect the borough-wide surge that's reshaped the area over the past decade.
Families have it easy on transit: Jefferson St (L) is about a 4-minute walk and DeKalb Av (L) is about 5 minutes away, with Knickerbocker Av (M) roughly 12 minutes on foot.
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) · 243 families responded (89% 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. J.H.S. 162 The Willoughby admits through 2 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Grade 6 AcademyScreened41 seats
- Zoned ProgramZoned49 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.
- 2Screened programs rank 4th-grade course grades, so last year's report card is the one that counts.
- 3Zoned programs give priority to students who live in the zone — a priority, not a guaranteed seat.
- 4Rank 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 J.H.S. 162 The Willoughby a good school?
- On Motley, J.H.S. 162 The Willoughby earns an overall rating of 30/100 — 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 below the District 32 average.
- What grades does J.H.S. 162 The Willoughby serve?
- J.H.S. 162 The Willoughby serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into J.H.S. 162 The Willoughby?
- J.H.S. 162 The Willoughby is a screened school — it admits by application, ranking applicants on their course grades (4th grade for middle school, the 7th-grade core-course average for high school); a few schools add an assessment, writing sample, or interview.
- Is J.H.S. 162 The Willoughby public, charter, or private?
- J.H.S. 162 The Willoughby is a public school in NYC Community School District 32.
- What neighborhood is J.H.S. 162 The Willoughby in?
- J.H.S. 162 The Willoughby is in Bushwick (West), Brooklyn.