KIPP Always Mentally Prepared Charter School

Both ELA (74.3%) and math (75.4%) sit comfortably above the District 17 averages of roughly 60.5% and 57.3% respectively. The trend is the real headline: proficiency in ELA climbed from about 35% in 2016 to 74.3% in 2025, and math followed a similar arc, with the sharpest jump coming this past year. Strong performance holds across grade levels, with seventh-grade math hitting 90.8% and eighth-grade ELA reaching 80.8%, suggesting students exit middle school well-prepared. Science proficiency at 75% reinforces a steady, all-subjects story rather than a one-test spike.

Parent trust is the standout here: 91% of families trust their child's teacher and 93% trust the principal, well above what most schools in this neighborhood achieve. Teacher-reported instruction quality, however, lands at 82.4% — below the district average of 89.1% — and with only four teachers responding to the survey, that number should be read cautiously. Attendance at 89.9% is slightly below the district norm of 91%, and chronic absenteeism is high at 63.3%, meaning most students miss 10% or more of school days. The day-to-day feel is likely one of high parent confidence paired with the demanding structure typical of KIPP campuses — long days, clear expectations, and lots of communication home.

The student body is 83% Black and 12% Hispanic, with Asian, White, multiracial, and Native American students each making up about 1%. This mirrors the broader Crown Heights North population fairly closely. The economic need index of 79.6% indicates that four out of five students come from households facing financial hardship, and 18% of students have an IEP, which is a meaningful share for families seeking inclusion. With a diversity index of 34%, the school is racially concentrated rather than diverse, but the population is deeply rooted in its surrounding community.

Crown Heights North is a renter-majority neighborhood where only 16.4% of households own their homes, yet median home values top $1 million — a sign of how quickly the area has appreciated. Median household income sits at $73,859 with a 20.2% poverty rate, and 11% of households include children. About 42% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, pointing to a mix of working-class longtime residents and newer college-educated arrivals. The area has a distinctly family-friendly feel despite the relatively modest share of households with kids.

Families can reach the school via the 3 train at Kingston Av or the 3 and 4 trains at Crown Heights-Utica Av, each about a seven-minute walk. The C train at Kingston-Throop Avs is roughly twelve minutes on foot.