M.S. 324 - Patria Mirabal

Math proficiency at 50.9% is essentially at the district average (52.1%), but that's the headline story: in 2016, only 28.4% of students were proficient in math, so this school has nearly doubled its rate over a decade. ELA is the weaker subject — 24.4% versus a district average of 47% — meaning students here are roughly half as likely to read at grade level as the typical District 6 middle schooler; ELA has bounced between 19% and 38% over the years, with no clear upward trajectory. The grade-level breakdown tells an encouraging growth story: 6th-grade math proficiency is 35.9%, 7th-grade is 46.3%, and 8th-grade hits 65.6% — students clearly gain ground as they move through the school, particularly in math.

The trust numbers here are striking: 99% of teachers trust the principal, 97% of parents trust teachers, and 95% of teachers rate instruction quality positively — all well above district averages. Discipline is minimal and trending in the right direction (6 suspensions in 2021-22, 3 in 2022-23, just 2 in 2023-24), and the school leans on restorative practices like Peer Mediation and Restorative Circles. The one real concern is attendance: the 89.9% rate is below the district's 91.1%, and chronic absenteeism at 63.5% means nearly two-thirds of students missed enough school to be flagged — a number that warrants a direct conversation with the school about how they handle it.

The school is 85% Hispanic, 9% Black, 3% White, and 2% Asian — a diversity index of just 32%, which makes it one of the more homogeneous middle schools in the district. With an economic need index of 86.2 (out of 100), the student body is largely low-income, and 28% of students have IEPs — well above typical middle school rates. This demographic profile closely mirrors the surrounding Washington Heights census tract, where 22% of households live in poverty and median income sits around $55,786; in other words, the school draws almost entirely from its immediate neighborhood.

Southern Washington Heights is a working-class, predominantly renter neighborhood — only 8% of households own their homes — with a median household income just under $56,000 and a college-degree rate of about 34%. About 9% of households include children, lower than some other parts of upper Manhattan, but the area has long been a hub for Dominican and other Latino families, and the school reflects that. The neighborhood is dense and walkable, with several subway lines converging within a few blocks of the school.

The school is a short walk from the 168 St (A, C) and 168 St–Washington Heights (1) stations, with the 163 St–Amsterdam Av (C) stop about seven minutes away on foot.