At a Glance
A K-8 charter in St. Albans whose test scores have climbed dramatically over the past decade.
Best suited for
St. Albans-area families — particularly Black families — who want a full K-8 charter with a sustained academic-growth record and are comfortable driving or busing their kids to school.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of NY State ELA + math proficiency, grades 3–8
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- ELA proficiency has roughly doubled since 2016, the most pronounced academic-growth story in the immediate area.
- Parent satisfaction (95%) and parent-teacher trust (94%) both run meaningfully above the district averages of about 91% and 88%.
- A full K-8 grade span lets families stay in one school through eighth grade without re-enrolling.
- Teacher-reported safety of 97% is one of the strongest numbers in District 29.
- Daily attendance of 94.3% is well above the district's 90.9%, suggesting strong routine and engagement when students do show up.
Things to consider
- Admissions is by charter lottery, with no guaranteed seat for zoned neighborhood families.
- The 85.2% chronic absenteeism figure is striking and worth asking the school to explain in context.
- The 12% family survey response rate (118 responses) means the strong parent satisfaction numbers rest on a smaller-than-usual sample.
- The student body is 89% Black; families looking for a more racially diverse school environment will want to look elsewhere.
- No nearby subway means a daily car, bus, or school-bus commute for almost every family.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 29
Riverton's 2.65/4 overall quality score sits well above the District 29 average of 2.21, placing it among the stronger public options in the southeast Queens portion of the district, behind only the nearby Success Academy charters.
Academics
Riverton's 67.7% ELA and 64.8% math proficiency are well above the District 29 averages of roughly 57% and 54%, respectively, and science at 60.9% is solid. The longer story is the trajectory: ELA climbed from 39.5% in 2016 and math from 41.6%, with one notable math dip in 2022 (38.7%) that the school has since recovered from. Grade-level results are uneven — third, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders are all in the 70-90s in math, while fourth and fifth graders land closer to 40% in math, suggesting the gains are concentrated in specific cohorts.
Culture
Average daily attendance of 94.3% sits comfortably above the district's 90.9%, and the parent experience looks strong on paper: 95% satisfaction, 94% parent-teacher trust, 93% parent-principal trust. Teacher-reported safety of 97% is unusually high. One figure parents should ask about directly is the 85.2% chronic absenteeism rate — meaning a large share of students miss 10% or more of the school year — which sits oddly next to that strong daily attendance. The teacher survey drew only 16 responses, so staff-side numbers should be read with some caution, and the 12% family survey response rate means parent numbers also rest on a relatively small sample.
Community
Nearly 89% of Riverton's students are Black, with 6% Hispanic and 3% multiracial, giving the school a low diversity index of 27% — among the more homogeneous student bodies in the city. The economic need index of 49.2 (out of 100) points to a mixed but moderate economic profile, and 11% of students have IEPs. The surrounding St. Albans neighborhood is also predominantly Black and largely homeowner-occupied, so most families attending Riverton come from a community that looks demographically similar to the school's enrollment.
Neighborhood
St. Albans is one of southeast Queens's most stable family neighborhoods: median household income of about $98,000, a poverty rate of just 9.2%, and a homeownership rate of nearly 75%. About 13% of households include children, and 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher — a solidly middle-class community where multi-generational ownership is the norm. It is not a neighborhood shaped by new development or rapid turnover, but by long-term residents putting down roots.
There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school, so families rely on cars, school buses, or local bus routes to get here.
Academic Performance
ELA Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State ELA exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Math Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Math exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Science Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Science exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Historical Trends
The dashed line marks 2023, when New York changed its grades 3–8 state tests. Scores before and after it aren’t directly comparable.
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 118 families responded (12% rate)
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Economic Need & Special Populations
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Riverton Street Charter School a good school?
- On Motley, Riverton Street Charter School earns an overall rating of 66/100 — the average of the school's New York State ELA and math proficiency, grades 3–8, shown out of 100. Its state test results run above the District 29 average.
- What grades does Riverton Street Charter School serve?
- Riverton Street Charter School serves grades K to 8.
- How do students get into Riverton Street Charter School?
- Riverton Street Charter School is a charter school — it admits through a free public lottery, with no test or attendance zone.
- Is Riverton Street Charter School public, charter, or private?
- Riverton Street Charter School is a public charter school in NYC Community School District 29.
- What neighborhood is Riverton Street Charter School in?
- Riverton Street Charter School is in St. Albans, Queens.