The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology: X223

Math is clearly the stronger half here: 60.2% proficiency sits roughly 11 points above the District 7 average of 49%, and the trajectory tells the story — math scores have climbed from about 40% in 2016 to over 60% in 2025. ELA is a different picture. The 48% proficiency lands below the district average of about 51%, and the trend is choppy — ELA peaked at 68.4% in 2022 and has slid back to 48%, a drop worth asking the school about. The school's overall quality score of 2.16/4 edges out the district's 2.01, confirming that on balance this school outperforms its neighbors, even if reading instruction has lost ground recently.

The survey numbers paint a remarkably cohesive school community. Parent satisfaction sits at 95% (above the district's 93.5%), parent-teacher trust at 97%, and teacher trust in the principal at 96% — these are the kinds of numbers that suggest strong, consistent leadership and families who feel genuinely plugged in. Discipline is nearly a non-issue: zero percent suspension rate against a district average of 0.84%, and only 3 suspensions all of last year. The day-to-day feel is calm. That said, the chronic absenteeism figure of 76.1% is jarring — though it tracks a citywide post-pandemic pattern — and is the one climate indicator that families should ask the school directly about, especially since daily attendance (93.3%) is healthy.

With 663 students, the school body is 81% Hispanic and 16% Black, with very small Asian, White, and Native American populations — a diversity index of 33%, meaning most students share a similar background. The economic need index of 91.7% tells you almost every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch, and 18% have IEPs. This profile closely tracks the Mott Haven-Port Morris neighborhood around it: low median income, high poverty rate, and a largely renter community. Families here will find peers who share their lived experience, even if the screened admissions process means this is not necessarily the school assigned to the immediate neighborhood.

Mott Haven-Port Morris is one of the lowest-income neighborhoods in the city, with a median household income around $29,110 and a poverty rate of 40.1%. Only about 12% of households have children, and just 6% of homes are owner-occupied — this is a dense, mostly rental community. The college-degree rate sits at 12.2%, well below citywide norms. Despite the economic strain, the area is well-connected by transit, with the 2 and 5 trains at 3 Av-149 St about a 5-minute walk away, the 6 at 3 Av-138 St roughly 8 minutes, and the 6 again at Brook Av about 9 minutes.

Three subway options within a 10-minute walk: the 2 and 5 lines at 3 Av-149 St (closest), and the 6 line at both 3 Av-138 St and Brook Av. The commute is workable from much of the Bronx and from Manhattan's east side.