M.S. M247 Dual Language Middle School

ELA proficiency sits at 53.6%, about 6 points below the District 3 average of 59.3%, while math at 34.3% trails the district's 54% by a wide margin — a meaningful gap that parents should weigh. The academic story over the past decade, though, is one of meaningful improvement: ELA has climbed from 31.5% in 2016 to the low-to-mid 50s in recent years, with eighth graders reaching a strong 63.8%. Math has been bumpier, peaking at 43.8% in 2023 before slipping back to 34.3% in 2025, and sixth-grade math at 23.7% is a particular weak spot. The overall quality score of 1.76 out of 4 places the school below the district average of 2.27.

The day-to-day feel here is unusually family-driven: 96% of parents report satisfaction, 99% trust the principal, and 96% trust their child's teacher — all well above district averages. Teacher perception of their own school is a softer signal — 83% trust the principal and only 59% report strong collegial trust among staff, which is below typical ranges and worth asking about. Discipline is essentially a non-issue, with just one suspension in 2023-24 and a 0% suspension rate compared to the district's 0.39%. The headline concern is chronic absenteeism at 53.8%, with female students missing more days (58.5%) than male students (49.5%) — over half the student body is missing 10% or more of school days, which puts a ceiling on academic growth regardless of program quality.

The student body is 94% Hispanic, with very small representation from other racial groups, and the school reports a high economic need index of 82.2 — meaning most students qualify for free or reduced lunch. This sits in striking contrast to the surrounding neighborhood, where median household income tops $150,000 and fewer than one in five households include children. About 24% of students have IEPs, and the school offers ELL support, reflecting the bilingual and immigrant-influenced character of the families who choose it. It's a community that arrives from across the city for the dual-language model rather than from the surrounding blocks.

The Upper West Side (Central) neighborhood around the school is one of Manhattan's wealthiest and most educated, with a median household income of $151,940, an 8.3% poverty rate, and 80.1% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. Only 17.2% of households here include children, and homeownership sits at 37.8% with a median home value above $1.5 million — a predominantly adult, professional, owner- and renter-mix enclave. The school draws a student body that looks very different from these blocks, which speaks to how families seek out this dual-language program from beyond the immediate area.

Three subway options within roughly a 6-7 minute walk: the 1 train at 79 Street, the 1/2/3 trains at 72 Street, and the B and C trains at 72 Street — solid Upper West Side transit access from any direction.