The Bronx School of Young Leaders

Both ELA and math proficiency remain below the district averages (district ELA around 45%, math around 43.5%), but the trajectory tells a different story than the snapshot. In 2016, just 12% of students hit ELA proficiency and 10% hit math — by 2024, those numbers had risen to roughly 38% and 39%, an extraordinary turnaround for any public school. Math continues to climb into 2025 (41.2%) while ELA dipped slightly (35%), and 8th graders noticeably outperform 6th graders, suggesting the school's gains compound over time students are enrolled. The overall quality score of 1.52 out of 4 sits below the district average of 1.77.

Teachers give leadership glowing marks — 98% trust the principal and 92% rate instruction quality favorably — and family-teacher trust lands at 95%. The climate feels collaborative inside the building, with low suspension numbers (just 3 last year, down from 6 the year before) and a 91% attendance rate slightly above the district average. The one striking number is chronic absenteeism at 65.1%, meaning roughly two of every three students miss 10% or more of the school year — a district-wide pattern in middle grades that this school hasn't escaped. Parent satisfaction is solid at 91% but the family survey response rate was only 8%, so that figure should be read with some caution.

The student body is 72% Hispanic and 24% Black, with a diversity index of just 41% — this is more of a culturally unified community than a heterogeneous one. About 92% of students qualify as economically needy by the city's index, and 28% have IEPs, meaning a meaningful share of classrooms are built around students who need extra support. The neighborhood mirrors the school: median household income sits around $32,000, with a 37% poverty rate, and only about 15% of neighborhood adults hold a bachelor's degree.

University Heights and Morris Heights are working-class Bronx neighborhoods where most households rent (homeownership is just 6.5%) and family households are a minority (14%). The area is dense, transit-dependent, and younger than many parts of the city — the median home value of about $590,000 reflects limited inventory rather than affluence, since most residents are renters.

Three subway options are within walking distance: the 176 St and Burnside Av stations on the 4 line (about 4 and 6 minutes on foot) and 174-175 Sts on the B and D (around 7 minutes). Most families commute via subway.