At a Glance
A leadership-and-journalism middle school in Kingsbridge Heights where math scores have nearly doubled in a decade and parents give near-universal praise.
Best suited for
Families in or near Kingsbridge Heights who want strong enrichment, real academic gains, and a structured environment with zero-tolerance-for-suspensions discipline — especially parents hoping their middle schooler will be ready for a specialized high school.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of NY State ELA + math proficiency, grades 3–8
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Math proficiency nearly doubled from 27% to 49.3% over the past decade — one of the stronger improvement trajectories in District 10.
- Zero suspensions in the past two years while serving a high-needs population — a discipline pattern that reflects a genuinely different approach.
- Offers Specialized High School Test Preparation and Regents Living Environment to 8th graders — uncommon enrichment for an unscreened middle school.
- Unusually rich arts and extracurricular lineup, including Rock Band, Musical Theater, Step, Robotics, Latin Dance, and a Saturday Academy.
- Near-perfect survey scores across the board: 100% parent-teacher trust, 99% teacher instruction quality, 98% parent satisfaction.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 68% is high and worth asking the school how they're addressing it.
- The student body is 87% Hispanic with a low diversity index (28%) — families seeking significant racial or cultural variety should weigh that.
- With 642 enrolled, class sizes and building feel are more like a large middle school than a small one.
- Economic need is very high (90.5%), so the school carries the resource challenges that come with concentrated poverty even while posting strong results.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 10
Among District 10 middle schools, this one sits above average on nearly every academic and climate metric — outperforming the district average of 45% ELA, 43.5% math, and a 1.77/4 overall score, and matching or beating peers like Ampark Neighborhood and Cardinal McCloskey on programming.
Academics
This school lands meaningfully above district averages: 51.1% ELA proficiency versus the district's 45%, and 49.3% math versus the district's 43.5%. The trajectory is the real story — math proficiency jumped from 27% in 2016 to 49.3% in 2025, and ELA climbed from 33.3% to 51.1% over the same window. Scores are fairly consistent across grades, with 6th graders slightly ahead in ELA (55.3%) and 8th graders edging out in math (52.7%), suggesting students arrive prepared and leave stronger.
Culture
The school climate numbers are striking on most measures: 98% parent satisfaction, 100% parent-teacher trust, and 99% teacher instruction quality — all well above district averages. Zero suspensions in the past two years (down from two in 2021-22) is remarkable for a school serving a high-needs population. The one clear flag is chronic absenteeism at 68% — meaning more than two-thirds of students miss 10% or more of the school year — even though daily attendance sits at 91.4%. That gap suggests the families who show up feel strongly engaged; the challenge is getting every student in the door consistently.
Community
The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (87%), with smaller Black (8%), Asian (2%), and White (2%) populations, and a diversity index of just 28% — meaning the school is fairly homogeneous and reflects the surrounding neighborhood closely. With an economic need index of 90.5%, nearly every student comes from a low-income household, and 19% are classified as IEP. The school offers ELL support and Honors/Accelerated coursework, which is a notable pairing for a high-needs population.
Neighborhood
Kingsbridge Heights-Van Cortlandt Village is a working-class, predominantly renter neighborhood — only about 18% of households own their homes, and the median household income sits around $55,000. Roughly one in five residents lives below the poverty line, and just a quarter of adults hold a bachelor's degree, which makes the school's academic gains all the more notable. Families tend to be apartment dwellers in a dense, transit-connected stretch of the west Bronx.
The 1 train at 231 St is a roughly 6-minute walk, Marble Hill-225 St on the 1 is about 9 minutes, and the 4 train at Kingsbridge Rd is about 12 minutes away — making this one of the more transit-accessible middle schools in the area.
Academic Performance
ELA Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State ELA exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Math Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Math exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Science Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Science exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Historical Trends
The dashed line marks 2023, when New York changed its grades 3–8 state tests. Scores before and after it aren’t directly comparable.
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 278 families responded (50% rate)
Programs & Activities
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Middle school (6th grade)
Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. The New School for Leadership and Journalism admits through 2 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- The Academy of the SciencesZoned119 seats
- The Arts Academy (Open to Zoned Students)Unscreened40 seats
Middle school application
- Opened
- Wed, Oct 14
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 11
- Offers
- Wed, Apr 7
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
- 2Zoned programs give priority to students who live in the zone — a priority, not a guaranteed seat.
- 3Unscreened programs fill by random lottery among the families who rank them.
- 4Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
Open house
Thu, Nov 5, · 6:00 PM · In person
Open house
Sat, Nov 14, · 10:00 AM · In person
Open house
Tue, Nov 17, · 9:00 AM · In person
Open house
Tue, Nov 17, · 6:00 PM · Virtual
Open house
Tue, Dec 1, · 9:00 AM · In person
Open house
Tue, Dec 1, · 6:00 PM · In person
1 more on the MySchools event calendar.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is The New School for Leadership and Journalism a good school?
- On Motley, The New School for Leadership and Journalism earns an overall rating of 50/100 — the average of the school's New York State ELA and math proficiency, grades 3–8, shown out of 100. Its state test results run above the District 10 average.
- What grades does The New School for Leadership and Journalism serve?
- The New School for Leadership and Journalism serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into The New School for Leadership and Journalism?
- The New School for Leadership and Journalism admits by application through a random lottery, with no academic screen.
- Is The New School for Leadership and Journalism public, charter, or private?
- The New School for Leadership and Journalism is a public school in NYC Community School District 10.
- What neighborhood is The New School for Leadership and Journalism in?
- The New School for Leadership and Journalism is in Kingsbridge Heights-Van Cortlandt Village, Bronx.