At a Glance
A small Bronx middle school where the arts are the hook and a remarkable test-score climb is the story
Best suited for
Families who want an unscreened, arts-rich middle school for a child who thrives with consistent attendance and could benefit from a small, tight-knit community — and who are willing to be active partners in pushing attendance and academics forward.
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
- One of the steepest sustained academic improvements in the borough: ELA proficiency has tripled and math has nearly sextupled over the past decade.
- A real arts program, not a marketing line — band, chorus, dance, vocal music, and visual arts are all listed as in-school programs, not just electives.
- Parent engagement that ranks at the very top of any district metric: 97% satisfaction, 96% trust in teachers, and a 98% survey response rate.
- Discipline that's almost invisible — just one suspension in 2023-24, an outlier in a district where the average is higher.
- ELL support, a Saturday Academy, and homework help all on the daily menu, signaling a school built for students who need extra runway.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism of 55.8% is high and meaningfully drags down outcomes — ask the school what specific steps they take to get students in the door.
- Teacher trust in leadership (33%) and teacher-rated instruction quality (64%) are well below district norms — worth asking why on a visit, especially since parents rate the school so differently.
- Test scores, while improving fast, still trail the district — your child won't necessarily be among the top performers here without strong home support.
- The economic need index (95%) and 36% IEP population mean resources are stretched; families looking for an unscreened, supportive environment should value this, but those expecting extensive enrichment resources should look elsewhere.
- Only 22 teachers responded to the climate survey, which is a small sample — read those numbers with appropriate caution.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 12
In a district where the average overall score is 1.76/4 and the average ELA proficiency hovers around 45%, this school sits below average on paper but shows the strongest sustained upward trajectory of its peers. Its program richness (90/100) is well above most district middle schools, though its absolute proficiency still lags behind the charter schools in the same district.
Academics
ELA proficiency (30%) sits meaningfully below the district average of about 45%, and math (40.5%) is just slightly under the district's 43.3%. But the trend line tells a different story: ELA went from 8.6% in 2016 to 30% in 2025, and math climbed from 7.1% to 40.5% over the same span — one of the steeper sustained improvements in the borough. Seventh-graders significantly outperform their sixth- and eighth-grade peers, which is worth asking about on a tour (instructional consistency across grades is something families should probe).
Culture
Walk into this school and you'll likely meet parents who love it: 97% parent satisfaction, 96% parent-teacher trust, and a 98% family survey response rate suggest an unusually engaged parent community. But the teacher side tells a quieter, more complicated story — only 33% of teachers trust their principal, and just 64% rate instruction quality positively, both well below district norms. Chronic absenteeism at 55.8% is steep (more than half of students missing 10% or more of school days) and worth taking seriously. Discipline, however, is a clear strength: just one suspension in 2023-24, with the trend improving year over year.
Community
Two-thirds of students identify as Hispanic and a third as Black, mirroring the Longwood neighborhood's demographics almost exactly. With an economic need index of 94.7% and 36% of students on IEPs, this is a school serving a population that faces significant resource challenges — and one that doesn't turn families away through screening. ELL support is provided for the small population of English-language learners.
Neighborhood
Longwood is a working-class, densely residential stretch of the South Bronx with a median household income around $36,500 — well below the city median — and roughly a third of residents living below the poverty line. Just 12.7% of households own their homes; the rest rent. Only about 14% of households have children, reflecting a neighborhood of mostly adult renters and multigenerational households rather than young nuclear families. Getting around by subway is genuinely convenient here.
Three stations are within easy walking distance: the 2/5 at Intervale Avenue (about 3 minutes), the 2/5 at Simpson Street (about 4 minutes), and the 6 at Hunts Point Avenue (about 5 minutes).
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) · 129 families responded (98% rate)
Programs & Activities
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Middle school (6th grade)
Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. School of Performing Arts admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- School of Performing ArtsUnscreened72 seats
Middle school application
- Opened
- Wed, Oct 14
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 11
- Offers
- Wed, Apr 7
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
- 2Unscreened programs fill by random lottery among the families who rank them.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is School of Performing Arts a good school?
- On Motley, School of Performing Arts earns an overall rating of 35/100 — 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 below the District 12 average.
- What grades does School of Performing Arts serve?
- School of Performing Arts serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into School of Performing Arts?
- School of Performing Arts admits by application through a random lottery, with no academic screen.
- Is School of Performing Arts public, charter, or private?
- School of Performing Arts is a public school in NYC Community School District 12.
- What neighborhood is School of Performing Arts in?
- School of Performing Arts is in Longwood, Bronx.