Staten Island School of Civic Leadership

This is one of the more dramatic improvement stories in the district. Math proficiency bottomed out at 32.9% in 2022 — almost certainly a pandemic-disruption artifact — and has rebounded to 66.5% by 2025, comfortably above the district average of 61.0%. ELA has climbed more steadily, from the mid-50s to 66.4%, also beating the 61.3% district mark. The gains are spread across grades: third-graders hit 70.9% in ELA, fifth-graders 75.3% in math, and even eighth-grade math sits at a respectable 60.4%. The trajectory is clearly improving, with no grade-level collapse dragging down the picture.

The parent-facing signals are nearly glowing: 95% parent satisfaction, 95% trust in the principal, 98% trust in teachers, and 100% of families reporting strong relationships. Discipline is exceptionally light — only 2 suspensions all year, against a district rate above 0.4%. But there are two yellow flags parents should know about. First, chronic absenteeism is high at 71%, meaning most students miss the threshold of "chronically absent" — common post-pandemic but worth watching. Second, while teachers rate instructional quality at 94% and feel safe at 84%, only 58% trust the principal and only 37 teachers returned the survey, suggesting some real friction between staff and leadership that doesn't show up in the family-facing numbers.

The student body is genuinely diverse — 40% Hispanic, 22% Black, 17% White, 16% Asian — reflecting a neighborhood where roughly one in five households has children and median household income sits around $85,000. The economic need index of 65.3 means a majority of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, even in a neighborhood with 65% homeownership and a median home value north of $430,000. About a quarter of students have IEPs, and ELL services are offered, so this is a school that has built real infrastructure for a wide range of learners.

The school sits in the Mariner's Harbor-Arlington-Graniteville section of Staten Island, a working- and middle-class neighborhood where most families have put down roots — 65% own their homes and the median home value is about $435,000. About 21% of households have kids under 18, and roughly 28% of adults have a bachelor's or higher, giving the area a comfortable, family-oriented character without the affluence of other parts of the Island. The neighborhood is decidedly car-dependent — there are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk, which is typical for this part of Staten Island and shapes how families get to and from school each day.

The school is beyond walking distance of the subway, so most families drive, carpool, or rely on the school bus — public transit isn't a realistic option here.