Spring Creek Community School

ELA proficiency sits at 30.8% against a district average around 48.9%, and math proficiency at 26% against roughly 48.2% — both meaningfully below the District 19 norm. The good news is the trajectory: ELA nearly doubled from 17.8% in 2016, with most of that progress locked in by 2019 and held even through the pandemic dip. Math has been more erratic, dropping as low as 7.5% in 2022 before rebounding to 26% in 2025. Seventh-graders post the strongest scores (45.5% ELA, 36.4% math), while sixth and eighth grade lag — a common pattern when middle-school cohorts are uneven. Science proficiency of 28.6% tracks similarly below district norms. Overall quality rating of 1.14 out of 4 is the lowest among the listed District 19 peers, though the school also serves grades 9-12 while most peer schools top out at 5th grade.

This is a school where families love the people and teachers feel respected by each other but not necessarily by leadership. Parent-principal trust at 96% and parent-teacher trust at 95% are standout numbers — higher than the district averages — and parental satisfaction at 88% lands only slightly below the 91.4% district norm. On the staff side, teacher collegial trust (82%) and instruction quality (90%, above district avg) are healthy. The notable gap is teacher-principal trust at just 42%, which suggests a real disconnect between the classroom staff and administration even as families feel well-served. Attendance at 90.9% edges out the district average of 89.9%, but chronic absenteeism at 62.9% is high and worth watching — it runs higher for female students (67.6%) than male (60%). The most striking climate data point is zero suspensions against a district average suspension rate of about 1.6%, suggesting a school that leans on relationships rather than removal.

Spring Creek's student body is 71% Black, 24% Hispanic, with small slices of Asian, White, multi-racial, and Native American students — a diversity index of 41%. The economic need index of 84.2% places most students in or near poverty, and 26% are IEP students, both well above citywide norms. The neighborhood itself (median household income $41,167, 22.6% poverty rate) skews working-class and family-rooted, with only 10.1% homeownership and a notably low 4.8% of households with children — suggesting many local kids grow up in this area but fewer new families with children are moving in. The school's mostly Black and Latino enrollment mirrors the surrounding community closely, making it a true neighborhood school in demographic terms.

Spring Creek-Starrett City is a working-class corner of East New York where median household income sits around $41,167, the poverty rate runs 22.6%, and only about a quarter of adults hold a bachelor's degree. Homeownership is unusually low at 10.1%, consistent with the area's large public-housing presence, and only 4.8% of households have children at home. It's a neighborhood where multigenerational households and family networks are part of the daily fabric, and where schools like this one serve as anchors for the community.

There are no quick subway trips — families looking at walking routes should plan on roughly 17 minutes to New Lots Av (3 train) or 20 minutes to Van Siclen Av (3 train), so most students likely arrive by bus or car.