At a Glance
A small, affordable Bronx Catholic school with whole-child roots — and a parent-review signal worth taking seriously.
Best suited for
Bronx Catholic families who want an affordable, small, faith-based elementary school for their young learners and are willing to visit, observe a class, and talk directly to current parents before enrolling.
What stands out
- Tuition of $6,375 makes this one of the more affordable private elementary options in the Bronx.
- A 10:1 student-teacher ratio at just 163 students means classes stay intimate.
- Academic-support stack — Title 1 Catapult, SETTS, Learning Ally, Dreambox — suggests a real commitment to remediation alongside Catholic formation.
- Drama Club offers a creative outlet in an otherwise academically focused program.
- NCEA accreditation signals alignment with national Catholic school standards.
Things to consider
- Parent reviews skew notably negative, with multiple families citing rudeness, lack of differentiated instruction, and regret — worth visiting and asking current parents directly.
- Visible program list is thin on arts, athletics, and the kind of enrichment families often associate with private school.
- No published data on where graduates feed for middle and high school, so forward planning requires asking.
- The 11–13 minute walks from the nearest B/D stops are a real commute, especially with young children.
- The surrounding neighborhood's economic profile means the school is operating in a context of significant need — supportive but worth understanding.
Identity
Our Lady of Mt Carmel is a coeducational Roman Catholic elementary school serving PK through 5th grade, accredited by the National Catholic Educational Association. Its stated mission centers on Catholic values, high academic expectations, and nurturing the growth of minds, bodies, and spirits — a classic whole-child Catholic formulation.
Community
With 163 students, this is a genuinely small school where most families likely know each other. The student body is roughly 69% Hispanic and 15% Black, with smaller White, multiracial, Asian, and Native American populations — a community that mirrors the surrounding Belmont neighborhood more than it mirrors Manhattan's private-school landscape.
Neighborhood
Belmont is a working-class Bronx neighborhood where median household income sits around $33,000 and more than a third of households live below the poverty line; only about 13% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. The school sits within this community it serves, and the demographics on the rolls reflect that.
Getting here means a real walk — the Fordham Rd B/D stop is about 11 minutes on foot, with Kingsbridge Rd and 182-183 Sts both around 13 minutes away, so families should plan for the stroller and the weather.
Notable Programs
What Parents Are Saying
Negative sentiment in parent reviews - parents report rudeness, unfairness, lack of differentiated instruction, and concerns about teacher behavior; multiple parents regret their decision to enroll children
Synthesized from public parent reviews · Apr 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL SCHOOL a good school?
- Published quality ratings aren't available for OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL SCHOOL yet on Motley. It's a private school serving grades Pre-K to 5 in Belmont.
- What grades does OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL SCHOOL serve?
- OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL SCHOOL serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL SCHOOL?
- OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL SCHOOL runs its own private admissions process — typically an application, a visit, and sometimes testing.
- Is OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL SCHOOL public, charter, or private?
- OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL SCHOOL is a private school.
- What neighborhood is OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL SCHOOL in?
- OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL SCHOOL is in Belmont, Bronx.