The Science And Medicine Middle School

The school's proficiency numbers (46.6% ELA, 41.4% math) trail District 18 averages (about 58% ELA and 61% math), but the trajectory tells a more interesting story. In 2016, ELA proficiency was 25.7% and math was 17.1%; both have climbed substantially, with a particularly steep jump in 2023-2024 when math rose from 38.3% to 49.3% and ELA from 40.9% to 46.3%. Eighth-graders are now outperforming sixth-graders by roughly 20 percentage points in both subjects — a strong sign that the school is building skills over time. The overall quality review score of 1.76/4 is below the district average of about 2.39/4, but the growth curve is genuinely impressive for a public unscreened middle school.

This is where the school stands out most. Parent satisfaction sits at 98% (well above the district's 92.7%), and trust between parents and both teachers and the principal is also at 98%. Teachers report strong collegial trust (93%) and solid principal trust (89%), though only 27 teachers responded — a small staff. Discipline is something to weigh: the suspension rate of 4% is higher than the district average of about 1%, and while suspensions dropped from 17 in 2021-22 to just 3 in 2022-23, they've ticked back up to 9 in 2023-24. Chronic absenteeism is high at 60.2%, meaning roughly six in ten students miss 10% or more of school days — a real concern, though it affects Black students (65.1%) far more than Hispanic students (38.1%). Daily attendance is right at the district average of 90.4%.

The student body is 85% Black, 10% Hispanic, and 2% White, with a diversity index of 32% — much less racially mixed than the citywide average. Twenty-five percent of students have IEPs and the school offers ELL support, so it serves a fairly broad range of learners in a relatively homogeneous demographic. With 72.5% of students classified as economically needy (compared to roughly that proportion in this part of Brooklyn) and families earning a median household income of about $82,184 in the surrounding neighborhood, this is a working- and middle-class Canarsie community.

Canarsie is a middle-class, family-rooted Brooklyn neighborhood where about half of residents own their homes and the median home value runs around $688,000 — substantial by city standards but typical for eastern Brooklyn. Fourteen percent of households have children, and residents earn a median household income just above $82,000, with about 13% living below the poverty line. Twenty-nine percent of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher. The school draws from this stable community, where families often stay for the long haul.

Getting here requires the L train. East 105 Street station is about a 10-minute walk, Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway is about 11 minutes, and New Lots Avenue is roughly 18 minutes away — all on the same line.