La Cima Charter School

Math is the clear strength: 72.5% proficiency against a district average of about 57% — a 15-point gap that's hard to miss. The trajectory is dramatic, from 31.7% in 2016 to 72.5% in 2025, with consistent gains over the past three years. ELA proficiency of 48.5% sits roughly 9 points below the district average of 57.6%, and the path has been bumpier — including a 29.2% low in 2024 before rebounding to 48.5% in 2025, its highest mark on record. By grade, math holds strong across 3-5 (62.5%–77.8%), while ELA scales up with age (Grade 4 at 44.4%, Grade 5 at 57.7%). The overall score of 2.42/4 is modestly ahead of the district's 2.29/4.

The survey numbers tell a remarkable story of internal cohesion: 95% parent satisfaction, 96% parent-teacher trust, 96% rating of teacher instruction quality, and 100% teacher-reported safety — all well above district averages. Teacher-principal trust is strong at 91%. The wrinkle is chronic absenteeism at 53.3%, meaning more than half of students miss enough school to qualify as chronically absent, even though the overall attendance rate of 89.4% edges above the district average. The disconnect suggests that while the families who are engaged feel deeply connected to the school, day-to-day attendance consistency is a real challenge — likely tied to the high economic need index of 86.6%.

La Cima serves 193 students in K-5, with classes averaging about 18 kids — small enough that teachers likely know every student by name. The student body is 59% Black and 35% Hispanic, with a small Native American population (3%), mirroring Bedford-Stuyvesant's working-class core. The economic need index of 86.6% means most families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and 22% of students have IEPs — a notably higher share than at most charters. The diversity index of 48% reflects a community that is predominantly Black and Latino rather than broadly multicultural.

Bedford-Stuyvesant (East) is a working-class to middle-income Brooklyn neighborhood where median household income sits around $70,755 and about 23% of residents live below the poverty line. Homeownership is low at 26.7%, and the typical home value is over $1.1 million — a sign of how much the housing market has shifted even in less-gentrified corners. About 40.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, and roughly 12% of households include children, meaning this is more a neighborhood of adult roommates and multigenerational families than young nuclear families. Getting to school means a walk — none of the nearest subway stops are at the doorstep.

The closest subway is Kosciuszko St on the J line, about a 9-minute walk; Utica Av (A, C) is roughly 13 minutes, and Myrtle Av (M, J, Z) is about 14 minutes away.