At a Glance
A small Brownsville charter elementary where ELA has climbed sharply, but math and chronic absenteeism remain stubborn challenges.
Best suited for
Families who want a small, charter-option elementary in central Brooklyn, are comfortable with a Brownsville commute, and are ready to be active partners on attendance from day one.
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
- One of the smallest elementary schools in the district at 113 students, with a class size around 19 that lets teachers know kids well.
- ELA proficiency jumped roughly 16 points from 2019 to 2022 — a meaningful turnaround worth noting.
- Suspensions fell by more than two-thirds in a single year (118 to 34), signaling a real shift in how the school handles discipline.
- Charter lottery means any Brooklyn family can apply regardless of where they live in the district.
- High share of students with IEPs (27%) and very high economic need index (88%) — a school serving a deeply high-need population.
Things to consider
- Math proficiency trails the district by about 16 points — families should ask what math instruction looks like day to day.
- Nearly half the students are chronically absent, including a majority of girls — the school's academic gains depend heavily on families being able to get kids to school.
- Suspension rate is still more than twice the district average even after recent improvement.
- At 113 students across six grades, the social and extracurricular world is small.
- Overall quality score (1.68) places the school below the district average and below several peer schools in Brownsville.
Based on 2023-24 data
School SummaryDistrict 23
Within District 23, Key Collegiate's overall score of 1.68 out of 4 sits below the district average of 2.06 and behind peer schools like Brooklyn Landmark Elementary (80/100), Imagine Me Leadership Charter (73/100), and several others scoring in the low-to-mid 70s. It's a school working to catch up rather than one already leading.
Academics
ELA proficiency at 49.5% has climbed about 16 percentage points since 2019 and now sits just shy of the district average of 52.2% — a real gain. Math tells a different story: at 34.4%, it's essentially unchanged from 2019 and trails the district average of 50.5% by roughly 16 points. Science proficiency is 25%. The school's overall quality score of 1.68 out of 4 is also below the district average of 2.06. ELA is clearly trending up; math is steady at a low level.
Culture
Chronic absenteeism is the headline here: 48.7% of students missed that much school, well above the district norm, with a striking gender gap — 57% of girls chronically absent versus 39% of boys. Attendance overall is 85.9%, below the district's 88.6%. The discipline picture, though, has flipped hard: suspensions went from 70 in 2021-22, to 118 in 2022-23, then dropped sharply to 34 in 2023-24. The current 4% suspension rate is still above the district's 1.6%, but the trajectory is the clearest positive signal in the data.
Community
Key Collegiate's 113 students are 78% Black, 18% Hispanic, 3% White — closely mirroring the Brownsville community that surrounds it. The economic need index of 88 indicates an overwhelmingly high-poverty population, and 27% of students have IEPs, well above the citywide norm. The school's diversity index of 38% reflects how concentrated its enrollment is rather than any lack of difference among families — almost every student comes from a household under real economic pressure.
Neighborhood
Brownsville is a predominantly Black, working-class neighborhood where median household income is around $33,500 and more than a third of residents live below the poverty line. Only about 8% of households include young children, lower than many Brooklyn neighborhoods, and homeownership is rare at 14%. The 3 train runs right through the area, and three stations sit within a short walk of the school.
Three 3-train stops serve the school: Rockaway Av about 5 minutes on foot, with Saratoga Av and Junius St each around a 9-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
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Key Collegiate Charter School a good school?
- On Motley, Key Collegiate Charter School earns an overall rating of 42/100 — 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 23 average.
- What grades does Key Collegiate Charter School serve?
- Key Collegiate Charter School serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into Key Collegiate Charter School?
- Key Collegiate Charter School is a charter school — it admits through a free public lottery, with no test or attendance zone.
- Is Key Collegiate Charter School public, charter, or private?
- Key Collegiate Charter School is a public charter school in NYC Community School District 23.
- What neighborhood is Key Collegiate Charter School in?
- Key Collegiate Charter School is in Brownsville, Brooklyn.