P.S. 070 Max Schoenfeld

The 2025 scores show a school on the move: math proficiency hit 49.2%, outpacing the district average of 44.7%, while ELA climbed to 30.1%, still below the 44.8% district average but up significantly from 14.4% just two years ago. Looking at the longer arc, math has climbed from a grim 15% in 2016 to nearly 50% today — that's real growth, not a fluke. Grade-level data shows older students performing stronger (Grade 5 math at 51.3%, Grade 3 math at 61.1%), suggesting interventions are taking hold. The overall quality score of 1.59 out of 4 places the school slightly below the district average of 1.79, but the trajectory matters as much as the current number.

This is a school where relationships clearly work. Parents give near-unanimous marks: 99% satisfaction, 100% trust in teachers, 99% trust in the principal. Teachers report 100% instruction quality and 96% trust in leadership — numbers most schools would envy. The catch: teacher-reported safety sits at 77%, below the district average of 83%, which is worth asking about during a visit. Attendance is the shadow over this profile — 89.8% daily attendance is barely below district average, but the 61.8% chronic absenteeism rate means nearly two-thirds of students are missing too much school, a systemic challenge in high-poverty neighborhoods. On the upside, there were zero suspensions last year, continuing a three-year trend of no out-of-school removals.

This is a working-class Bronx school through and through: 77% Hispanic, 21% Black, with tiny Asian and White populations. Nearly a quarter of students (22%) have IEPs, and the diversity index sits at 34%. The neighborhood around it is young-family-heavy (95th percentile for family density) but with only 4.4% homeownership and a 32% poverty rate — this is a community of renters, many navigating significant economic stress. The 98% family survey response rate tells you something: families here are engaged, even if their kids aren't always in school.

Mount Eden-Claremont (West) is a transit-rich, family-dense corner of the Bronx where getting around without a car is actually easy — the neighborhood scores 84 on transit access. It's not a neighborhood where people walk to parks or linger on stoops; it's a working-class area where families are focused on getting ahead. The poverty rate (32%) and low homeownership (4.4%) set the context: this is a neighborhood where schools serve families managing real economic pressure. Safety scores are moderate (0.77), and the area has elevated asthma rates and lead exposure risks compared to citywide averages, common in older Bronx housing stock.

Highly walkable and transit-accessible — families without cars can rely on buses and trains, and the neighborhood's small blocks make it navigable on foot