Mott Hall III

ELA proficiency at 47.5% sits a few points above the district average of 44.8%, and the school has held relatively steady in English over the past three years after a stronger 2018-2019 run (when it hit 63.5%). Math is the harder story: 42.1% proficiency now, down from a 2016 baseline of 47.7% and a 2019 high of 51.7%, with a steep drop in 2022 (23.2%) from which it has only partially recovered. The grade-level breakdown shows 6th graders are dragging the averages down (33.7% ELA, 31.4% math), while 8th graders are the strongest cohort (59.6% ELA, 50% math), suggesting incoming students need significant catch-up support. The overall quality review score of 1.79/4 lands right on the district average — solidly middle of the pack.

Parents like this school. Parent satisfaction sits at 92% (slightly below the district's 94%), and trust between families and both teachers and the principal is also at 92% — unusually high and consistent. Teachers report strong collegial trust (93%) and solid faith in their principal (86%), with 90% rating instruction quality positively, all near district norms. The day-to-day climate sounds collaborative rather than top-down. The suspension story is the thing to watch: only 1 suspension in 2021-22 and 2022-23, then 5 in 2023-24, pushing the rate to 2% (about five times the district average of 0.4%). It's a small number in absolute terms but a sharp uptick worth asking the school about.

The student body is 62% Hispanic and 35% Black, with very small White, Asian, and multiracial populations — a diversity index of 44% reflects a relatively homogeneous community rather than a broadly mixed one. That profile mirrors the surrounding Morrisania neighborhood, which has a poverty rate above 34% and a median household income around $33,000. Twenty-seven percent of students have IEPs and the school runs ELL support, so a meaningful share of the population is navigating school with language or learning differences. The economic need index of 93% is among the highest you'll see.

Morrisania is a dense, working-class corner of the central Bronx where homeownership is under 9% and most families rent. Median household income hovers around $33,000 and more than a third of residents live below the poverty line, while only about 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. Just 11.5% of households have children, which is a notably low share for a residential neighborhood and reflects how many households here are adult-only or non-family. The area is walkable in the sense of being densely built, but subway access requires a real walk.

The closest subway is Freeman St on the 2 and 5 lines, about a 12-minute walk. Simpson St and Intervale Av, also on the 2 and 5, are 17 and 18 minutes on foot respectively — so most families commuting by transit should plan on a meaningful walk to and from the train.