School of Science & Technology

Test scores here have climbed dramatically over the past decade — ELA proficiency rose from 29% in 2016 to 51% in 2025, and math from 21% to 51% over the same period, with particularly strong gains in the most recent year. That puts the school on a clear upward curve, even though the 2024 ELA dip (down to 31%) shows the climb isn't perfectly linear. Current proficiency still trails the district average of roughly 61% in ELA and 60% in math, so students here are catching up fast but not yet leading. Third and fifth graders post the strongest results; fourth grade lags behind, which is worth asking about.

The day-to-day feel at this school is unusually warm. Parent-teacher and parent-principal trust both top 95%, teachers report 96% safety in the building, and there have been zero suspensions in three straight years — a rare bright line for a school of this size. Teacher-to-principal trust sits lower at 77%, which suggests staff don't always feel heard by leadership even as families clearly do. The big asterisk is chronic absenteeism at 62%: nearly two-thirds of students miss enough school to qualify, which can quietly blunt even strong classroom instruction.

The student body is majority Black (54%) and Hispanic (27%), with smaller Asian, White, and multiracial populations — closely mirroring the surrounding Flatbush census, where Black residents form the largest share and income sits well above the citywide poverty line. The economic need index of 79% tells you most students come from households under financial strain, even in a neighborhood where the median income is about $79,000. Roughly one in five students has an IEP, well above the city average, so special education capacity is a meaningful part of this school's daily reality.

Flatbush is one of Brooklyn's largest and most family-rooted neighborhoods, with a mix of Caribbean and West Indian cultural life alongside longstanding Jewish and immigrant communities. Median household income sits around $79,000 with a poverty rate just under 14%, and about a third of adult residents hold a bachelor's degree — solidly middle-class, with real economic diversity block by block. Most families don't own their homes here (only about 13% do), which means a large renter population and the kind of turnover that's typical in central Brooklyn.

Three subway options reach the school: Flatbush Av–Brooklyn College on the 2 and 5 lines is about an 8-minute walk, with the Avenue H Q stop about 10 minutes away and Newkirk Plaza on the B and Q also roughly 10 minutes on foot.