The Longwood Academy of Discovery

Proficiency in both ELA (23.6%) and math (19.4%) is well below the District 8 averages of roughly 46% and 48%, respectively. The trajectory, though, is the more interesting story: scores cratered in 2022 (9.5% ELA, 4.3% math) and have climbed meaningfully since, with 2025 showing the strongest ELA result in nearly a decade. Math is more uneven — a high of 22% in 2019, a low of 4.3% in 2022, and 19.4% now. Bright spots exist at specific grade levels, particularly Grade 3 ELA (30.8%) and Grade 4 math (30.6%), suggesting pockets where instruction is landing.

The day-to-day feel here is split: families are unusually happy with the school, while teachers are noticeably less so. Parent satisfaction (93%), parent-teacher trust (95%), and parent-principal trust (94%) all land at or above the district average, and 97% of parents say the school has strong relationships. Teachers tell a different story — only 67% feel safe (vs. 89% district-wide), 75% trust their principal, and 80% rate instruction quality as strong (vs. 88% district). Three straight years with zero suspensions is genuinely rare and suggests a culture that leans on relationships rather than removal. Attendance at 88% is just below the district norm, but chronic absenteeism at 51% means more than half of students are missing too much school — a headwind that's hard for any classroom to outrun.

The student body is 72% Hispanic and 24% Black, with very small Asian, white, and multiracial populations, set against a Longwood neighborhood where household incomes are modest (median around $36,500) and a third of families live in poverty. The economic need index of 92.2 means nearly every student comes from a low-income household, and 27% of students have IEPs — a meaningfully higher share than at the average city school. Despite that, families respond: 287 families returned surveys last year, a robust response rate that signals a parent body that wants to be heard.

Longwood is a working-class, predominantly renter neighborhood — only about 13% of households own their homes, and fewer than 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. A third of residents live below the poverty line, and the median home value of roughly $537,000 reflects a market where housing costs have risen faster than most local incomes. Families with children make up about 14% of households, putting this squarely in the dense, multigenerational part of the Bronx.

Three subway lines serve the school: the 2 and 5 at Intervale Avenue and Prospect Avenue are each about a 4-minute walk, and the 6 at Longwood Avenue is about a 6-minute walk.