The Bronx STEM and Arts Academy

The latest scores show meaningful recovery: ELA at 43.9% sits just under the district average of about 45%, and math at 34.1% is roughly 9 points below the district's 43.5%. The math climb from 7.8% in 2022 to 34.1% in 2025 is the real headline — though starting from such a low base, there's still a long way back. Look closely at the data and you'll see the 2025 jump is dramatic across the board, suggesting something has shifted in instruction or assessment preparation. The one worrying signal is the third-grade cohort, where ELA proficiency is just 6.7% — a small sample, but worth asking the principal about directly.

Day-to-day, the school runs calmly — zero suspensions in any of the last three reported years — and parents clearly feel connected (97% say there are strong relationships at the school). The split screen, though, is between what families experience and what teachers report: parent trust scores hover in the low-to-mid 90s, but teachers rate instructional quality at just 76% (well under the district's ~91%) and trust in school leadership at 79%. Attendance at 89.2% is a touch below the district's 90.8%, and chronic absenteeism at 60% means a majority of students miss enough school to be flagged — a real concern given how strongly attendance correlates with recovery.

The student body is 71% Hispanic and 24% Black, with most families navigating the high economic need that defines the area (an economic need index of 87.2 puts this well above the city average). About 14% of students have IEPs, reflecting the school's SE designation and an inclusive approach. Belmont's census paints a similar picture — a working-class, predominantly renter neighborhood with median household income around $33,000 and a poverty rate approaching 38%. Families here tend to share the languages, life circumstances, and block-level challenges of their neighbors, which can make the school feel less like a magnet and more like a community hub.

Belmont is a densely working-class Bronx neighborhood where most residents rent (homeownership sits below 4%) and a sizable share of households live below the poverty line. Just 10.7% of households here have children, meaning families with school-age kids are a relatively small slice of the broader community, and only about 13% of adults have a bachelor's degree. The neighborhood is car-light by necessity — getting around means the subway, and the station walks from this school are real.

The subway is reachable but not close — the 2/5 at West Farms Square–East Tremont Avenue or 174th Street is roughly a 17- to 19-minute walk, and the B/D at 182–183 Streets is about a 17-minute walk, so most families likely rely on bus service for the daily commute.