At a Glance
A tiny screened middle school in Brownsville where recent test scores are climbing fast
Best suited for
Families in Brownsville and nearby East Brooklyn who want a small, screened middle school with ELL support, are comfortable with a school in active academic turnaround, and value a close-knit community over larger-school amenities
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
- Screened admissions with a dedicated ELL Support program
- Exceptionally small enrollment of just 92 students — every child is well known
- Dramatic year-over-year academic gains in 2025, especially in math
- Parent satisfaction and trust levels far above district norms
- Accelerated/Honors academic track available
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 62% means many peers are missing significant school
- ELA and math proficiency both trail district averages by double digits
- Suspension rate of 6% is nearly four times the district average and trending upward
- Grade 6 and Grade 8 performance lags significantly behind Grade 7
- Very small size means limited extracurricular breadth and narrower peer groups
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 23
Among District 23 middle schools, Mott Hall IV sits below its peer group — top peers like Brooklyn Landmark Elementary School (80/100) and Imagine Me Leadership Charter School (73/100) rank considerably higher on the district's own scale.
Academics
Both ELA (38.5%) and math (32.3%) proficiency sit below the district averages of 52.2% and 50.5% respectively, and the school's overall 1.42/4 score trails the district 2.06/4 average. But the trajectory matters: math jumped from 12.7% in 2024 to 32.3% in 2025, and ELA rose from 27.7% to 38.5% — the strongest single-year gains in the school's recent history. Grade 7 is the bright spot at 52.9% proficiency in both subjects, while grades 6 and 8 lag behind. With such a small enrollment, year-to-year volatility is expected, but the 2025 numbers suggest genuine momentum.
Culture
Parents clearly love this school: 98% parent satisfaction (vs. district 93.3%), 98% parent-teacher trust, and 95% parent-principal trust — unusually strong numbers for any public school. Teachers rate instruction quality at 95% (vs. district 89.4%) and 87% trust their principal, though only 78% report strong collegial trust among peers. Attendance is roughly on par with the district at 89.2%, but chronic absenteeism at 62.3% is striking — nearly two-thirds of students miss significant school, with Hispanic students hit hardest at 78.9%. Discipline is worth watching: suspensions rose from 0 in 2021-22 to 7 in 2023-24, putting its 6% rate well above the district's 1.6%.
Community
The student body is 63% Black and 33% Hispanic, with very small Asian representation, mirroring Brownsville's broader demographics. With an 86.9% economic need index and 32% of students with IEPs, this is a school serving a high-needs population. The diversity index of 46% reflects a fairly concentrated community rather than broad diversity. A total enrollment of just 92 students means every kid is well known — for better and for worse.
Neighborhood
Brownsville is a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood where median household income hovers around $33,494, roughly 38% of residents live in poverty, and homeownership is rare at 14.2%. About 7.9% of households include children — a figure that reflects both family density and the broader economic pressure on the area. Only 13.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, yet the median home value of $482,021 hints at the market pressure this corner of Brooklyn faces.
Rockaway Av (3) is about a 4-minute walk, Junius St (3) is about 7 minutes, and Livonia Av (L) is about 9 minutes — families have solid subway access via the 3 and L lines
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
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) · 98 families responded (91% 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. Mott Hall IV admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Mott Hall IV Middle SchoolScreened53 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.
- 2Screened programs rank 4th-grade course grades, so last year's report card is the one that counts.
- 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Mott Hall IV a good school?
- On Motley, Mott Hall IV earns an overall rating of 36/100 — 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 23 average.
- What grades does Mott Hall IV serve?
- Mott Hall IV serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into Mott Hall IV?
- Mott Hall IV is a screened school — it admits by application, ranking applicants on their course grades (4th grade for middle school, the 7th-grade core-course average for high school); a few schools add an assessment, writing sample, or interview.
- Is Mott Hall IV public, charter, or private?
- Mott Hall IV is a public school in NYC Community School District 23.
- What neighborhood is Mott Hall IV in?
- Mott Hall IV is in Brownsville, Brooklyn.