South Bronx Classical Charter School

ELA proficiency at 94.9% and math at 97.6% are both more than double the district averages of roughly 45% and 43% respectively, putting this school in rarefied territory for District 12. The trajectory has been consistently upward — ELA has climbed from 81% in 2016 to 94.9% in 2025, while math has surged from 83.8% to 97.6%, with the steepest gains coming after 2018. By middle school, the numbers are remarkable: 7th graders hit 100% proficiency in both subjects, and 4th-grade math is also at 100%. This is a school where students are not just meeting standards but exceeding them across nearly every grade.

Parents give this school high marks across the board — 93% satisfaction, 97% parent-teacher trust, and 93% trust in the principal — well above district norms. Teachers also rate instructional quality highly at 95%, and collegial trust among staff is solid at 86%. However, teacher-reported safety sits at 75%, meaningfully below the district average of 84.6%, which is worth asking about on a tour. Attendance is strong at 94.6%, beating the district average, though the reported chronic absenteeism figure of 89.3% is striking and worth clarifying directly with the school — the metric does not align with the high attendance rate and may reflect a data-reporting quirk worth understanding.

The student body is 59% Hispanic and 37% Black, with small Asian and White populations, giving it a diversity index of 48% — moderate, leaning heavily toward two large groups. An economic need index of 86.4% indicates most students come from low-income households, and 18% have IEPs, slightly above the citywide average. The school serves a neighborhood where median household income hovers around $36,500 and a third of residents live below the poverty line, so the families here are navigating real economic pressure while sending them to a charter with strong academic results.

Longwood is a densely populated, working-class corner of the South Bronx where most households rent (homeownership is just 12.7%) and the median home value sits around $537,000 despite a median household income under $37,000 — a sign of a tight, demand-driven market. About 14% of households include children, and just 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. The area is firmly Latino and Black, with deep roots in the South Bronx. Getting to school is easy thanks to three nearby subway stations.

Three subway stations are within a short walk: Intervale Avenue (2 and 5 trains, about 3 minutes), Simpson Street (2 and 5, about 4 minutes), and Hunts Point Avenue (6 train, about 5 minutes), giving families from across the South Bronx multiple route options.