New American Academy Charter School

This school's test scores tell one of the strongest improvement stories in the data set. In 2016, only about 18% of students were proficient in ELA and 20% in math — figures that lagged well behind peers. By 2025, those numbers had climbed to 74.8% in ELA and 69.5% in math, both comfortably above the District 18 averages of roughly 58% and 61% respectively. The jump from 48.4% to 74.8% in ELA between 2024 and 2025 is particularly steep, so parents should treat the most recent year as the strongest signal but ask whether it's a one-year surge or a sustained plateau. Grade 3 leads the way with 85.2% ELA proficiency, while Grade 4 math (54.3%) is the softest spot in an otherwise strong picture.

The survey numbers here are unusually high: 99% parent satisfaction, 100% parent-principal trust, 100% teacher-reported safety, and 100% teacher instruction quality, all sitting comfortably above district averages. The day-to-day feel, at least according to families, is one of strong communication and a sense that teachers and leadership are on the same page. The catch is the chronic absenteeism rate of 72.7% — meaning roughly three out of four students miss enough school days to be flagged — which sits far above the district norm. That gap between how families feel about the school and how often students actually show up is the most important tension to understand here. The teacher survey pool is small (only 18 respondents), so the staff-side percentages should be read with that limitation in mind.

The student body is overwhelmingly Black (87%), with smaller Hispanic (9%), White (3%), Asian (1%), and multiracial (1%) populations, and the diversity index of 29% reflects that the school is not particularly diverse by NYC standards. That profile mirrors the surrounding neighborhood, which is a predominantly Black, working-class community with a poverty rate of 19% and a median household income around $57,600. About 17% of students have IEPs and the economic need index of 68.9 is well above the city average, so this is genuinely a school serving a population with real economic pressure. Families who enroll tend to be looking for an academic environment and seem to find one.

East Flatbush-Remsen Village is a working-class, predominantly Black neighborhood where about 19% of residents live below the poverty line and only about a quarter of households own their homes. The median home value of roughly $692,000 reflects Brooklyn-wide price pressure more than local buying power, since most families here rent. About 9% of households have children under 18, which is low for NYC and means the school draws from a wider area than just immediate blocks. The neighborhood's college-attainment rate of 22% is well below the city average, so families prioritizing strong academic outcomes for their kids may be choosing this school specifically.

None of the nearby subway options are particularly close — the Saratoga Av (3) station is about a 14-minute walk, Canarsie-Rockaway Pkwy (L) is about 15 minutes, and Rockaway Av (3) is about 17 minutes. Most families are likely getting to school by bus, car, or school transportation rather than walking to the train.