Opportunity Charter School

ELA proficiency of 22.8% and math proficiency of 13.8% sit far below the district averages of 59.3% and 54.0% — students here are catching up, not leading. Science proficiency at 30.4% is the school's relative bright spot. The long-term trajectory, however, is clearly upward: ELA climbed from 8.4% in 2016 to a 2024 peak of 32.7% before dipping to 22.8% in 2025, and math rose from 3.1% to 13.8% over the same span. These are meaningful gains from a very low base, but the 2025 ELA pullback and persistently low math numbers show the climb is uneven.

The climate numbers are sobering. Daily attendance is reported at 99.5%, yet chronic absenteeism stands at 98.8% — meaning essentially every student misses 10% or more of the school year, a sign of major engagement or scheduling challenges even on days students do show up. Parent satisfaction is 54.8% versus a district average of 88%, though the survey response rate was just 1% (two families), so the parent voice in the data is thin. Teacher-reported instruction quality is 42.4% against a district norm of 87.2%, suggesting teachers themselves see the instructional core as needing significant work.

The student body is 53% Black and 44% Hispanic — almost entirely students of color — with an economic need index of 88.7%, among the highest in the city. Sixty-three percent of students have IEPs, one of the highest special-education concentrations at any NYC middle-high school. The school draws from South Harlem, where 20.3% of residents live in poverty and median household income is $68,758, even as the surrounding blocks see rising home values and a more affluent population moving in. The diversity index of 48% reflects a fairly homogeneous student body along racial lines, but a wide mix of learning needs within it.

South Harlem around the school is a neighborhood in transition: median home value is $1.3 million, but homeownership is just 18.2%, reflecting a renter-heavy mix of long-time residents and newer arrivals. About half of neighborhood adults hold a bachelor's degree, and median household income is $68,758, while one in five residents lives in poverty. Only 12.4% of households include children, a relatively low share that means the area skews toward singles and young professionals alongside legacy families.

Transit access is strong: the C and B trains at Cathedral Pkwy (110 St) are about a 4-minute walk, the C and B at 116 St are about 5 minutes, and the 2 and 3 at 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza are about 6 minutes away.