At a Glance
A Cypress Hills middle school on a striking upward trajectory, with the kind of parent trust most schools can only dream of.
Best suited for
Families in Cypress Hills and East Brooklyn looking for an unscreened middle school with a genuine family-school partnership, broad extracurricular options, and a clear upward academic trajectory — especially families whose kids can commit to consistent attendance.
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 — from 14.3% to 43.9%
- 8th grade math proficiency hits 58.6%, well above the district average
- 99% parent satisfaction and 96% trust in the principal — exceptionally rare family-school partnership
- Program richness of 100/100 — SHSAT prep, Regents prep, debate, coding, robotics, journalism, even boxing
- Remarkably calm discipline climate with just 2 suspensions over the past three years
Things to consider
- ELA proficiency at 37.9% still trails the district average of 48.9% by a meaningful margin
- 68.5% chronic absenteeism is high — many students miss substantial school, which holds back overall results
- ELA performance actually declines across grade levels (42% in 6th, 34% in 8th), suggesting upper-grade supports could be stronger
- 26% IEP rate is well above city averages — families who need robust special education support should ask how it's staffed
- While parent engagement is exceptional, peer school rankings put it mid-pack in District 19
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 19
Liberty Avenue's overall score of 1.64/4 sits below the district average of 1.94, but its trajectory tells a more hopeful story than the snapshot. Among its Cypress Hills and East Brooklyn peers, it's mid-pack academically but stands out for parent engagement and program breadth.
Academics
Math proficiency at 43.9% has nearly closed the gap with the district average of 48.2%, and the trajectory is the real story — up from 14.3% in 2016. ELA at 37.9% still trails the district average of 48.9%, though it's also roughly doubled over a decade. The grade-by-grade breakdown is telling: 8th grade math proficiency hits 58.6%, well above district, while 6th grade ELA leads at 42.2%. Students who stick with Liberty Avenue, especially into 8th grade, end up well-prepared for high school — math Regents-level work is paying off.
Culture
Parent satisfaction at 99% is extraordinary — far above the district average of 91% — and parent-principal trust at 96% tells you families genuinely believe in the leadership here. Teacher instruction quality at 89% edges above the district average of 88%, and discipline is remarkably calm: just 2 suspensions in 2023-24, consistent year over year. The one concern is chronic absenteeism at 68.5%, meaning a lot of students miss substantial school, even though daily attendance rates sit at 90.7%, slightly above district average.
Community
The student body is 67% Hispanic and 22% Black, mirroring the working-class, predominantly Latino character of Cypress Hills. With an economic need index of 85.9 and 26% of students classified as IEP, this is a school serving families facing real economic and learning-support pressures. ELL support is central to the school's identity given the demographics, and the broad range of after-school programs reflects a deep effort to meet kids where they are.
Neighborhood
Cypress Hills is a working-class East Brooklyn neighborhood with a median household income of $66,262 and a 17.6% poverty rate — solidly middle and lower-middle class by city standards. About a third of homes are owner-occupied, with a median home value of $659,257, pointing to a community of renters and first-generation homeowners rather than established wealth. Roughly one in five households has kids, and 16.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below city norms.
The school is well-served by transit — Cleveland St (J) is about a 4-minute walk, Shepherd Av (C) about 6 minutes, and Norwood Av (J, Z) about 8 minutes.
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) · 384 families responded (84% 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. Liberty Avenue Middle School admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Liberty Avenue Middle SchoolUnscreened138 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.
- 2Unscreened programs fill by random lottery among the families who rank them.
- 3Rank 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.
Make this school part of your plan
Everything on this page is yours to read. An account keeps your research in one place.
No credit card required
Compare head-to-head
Explore nearby
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Liberty Avenue Middle School a good school?
- On Motley, Liberty Avenue Middle School earns an overall rating of 41/100 — 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 19 average.
- What grades does Liberty Avenue Middle School serve?
- Liberty Avenue Middle School serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into Liberty Avenue Middle School?
- Liberty Avenue Middle School admits by application through a random lottery, with no academic screen.
- Is Liberty Avenue Middle School public, charter, or private?
- Liberty Avenue Middle School is a public school in NYC Community School District 19.
- What neighborhood is Liberty Avenue Middle School in?
- Liberty Avenue Middle School is in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn.