P.S. 011 Highbridge

ELA proficiency of 28.7% sits about 16 points below the District 9 average of 44.8%, and math at 33.8% is roughly 11 points below the district average of 44.7%. The trajectory is the more interesting story: math scores climbed from 25.9% in 2024 to 33.8% in 2025 — the highest mark in nearly a decade — and ELA rebounded from a low of 20.6% in 2024 to 28.7%. Within the building, Grade 3 math is the standout at 42.2%, while Grade 4 ELA drags the school down at 23.5%. The overall 1.25 out of 4 quality rating is among the weaker in the district, but the year-over-year gains suggest momentum that the most recent data is starting to confirm.

The daily feel here is calmer than the academic numbers suggest: zero suspensions in each of the last three reporting years is genuinely unusual, and teachers rate safety at 88%, well above the district average of 83%. Parents are deeply invested — a 91% family survey response rate, 98% parent-teacher trust, and 97% trust in the principal show families feel heard in ways most schools would envy. The shadow on the climate side is chronic absenteeism at 63.9%, meaning nearly two of every three students miss enough school to be flagged, even though the daily attendance rate (91.1%) actually beats the district average. Teacher voices are slightly more reserved, with instruction quality at 86% (below the 90% district mark), suggesting instructional improvement is the area most likely to move the needle on proficiency.

The student body is 72% Hispanic and 26% Black, mirroring the surrounding Highbridge neighborhood where most households sit below the city's median income and roughly a third live in poverty. The school's diversity index of 39% reflects that the community is essentially two large demographic groups rather than a wide mix, and 20% of students have IEPs — a meaningfully higher share than the citywide norm. PTA fundraising of just $4 per student tells you something real: families contribute what they can, but this is not a school with a deep parent wallet for field trips, technology, or enrichment.

Highbridge is a working-class, predominantly Latino and Black neighborhood on the western edge of the Bronx, with a median household income around $40,000 and a poverty rate of 32%. Homeownership is rare here — under 5% of households own — which means most families renting in the area have less stability and fewer resources to weather setbacks. Only about 16% of neighborhood adults hold a bachelor's degree, a backdrop that shapes both the school's enrollment and the support families need from the building. Just 12.7% of neighborhood households include children, a relatively small share for a family-zoned school, which can make finding playmates and after-school buddies a bit harder than in more family-dense areas.

Most families will rely on the 4 train — the 167 St station is about an 8-minute walk and 170 St about 9 minutes — with the B/D at 167 St a 12-minute walk for those closer to that side of the neighborhood.