At a Glance
A small, no-suspension Bronx high school packing AP courses, mock trial, and wrestling into a tight-knit campus
Best suited for
Families who want a small, structured Bronx high school with real extracurricular depth and don't mind the longer walk to transit or the tradeoffs of a tiny, tightly-knit student body.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of 4-year graduation, English Regents college-ready and Regents completion · DOE 2025 report
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Zero suspensions, an unusual record for a high-need high school
- Program richness score of 90/100, with AP courses, mock trial, GSA, Buildon, and Summer Search on offer
- Teacher instruction quality rated 96%, well above the district average
- Twelve varsity and intramural sports including wrestling, double dutch, and dance
- Fierce admissions demand — 257 applicants for 65 seats, a 25% offer rate
Things to consider
- Parent satisfaction is 83%, roughly 11 points below the district average — worth asking current families what that gap reflects
- Teacher-principal trust is only 50%, a noticeable internal divide even as classroom instruction rates high
- Small school of 285 students means fewer course sections and a tighter social circle — a plus for some teens, a minus for others
- Academic proficiency data wasn't included in the profile materials, so families should ask directly for recent test scores
- The neighborhood's transit access requires a 13–16 minute walk to the nearest subway, which adds commute time in winter
Based on 2023-24 data
School SummaryDistrict 9
District 9's top-rated peers are mostly charter schools — Icahn Charter School 1 at 99/100 and Success Academy Bronx 2 and 3 in the mid-to-high 90s — while Validus operates as a small traditional public option in a field dominated by charters. Its program richness and zero-suspension record distinguish it from many district peers, though it lacks the headline test-score performance of the top charters.
Academics
The data provided does not include Validus's own ELA, math, or science proficiency scores, so a direct comparison to the district averages of roughly 45% in both subjects isn't possible. What the record does show is meaningful academic infrastructure for a school this size: AP courses, a humanities track, world languages, ELL support, and dedicated college-access programming like Summer Search and Buildon. The program richness score of 90 out of 100 is unusually high for a small unscreened school in District 9.
Culture
The single most striking climate number here is zero suspensions — remarkable for a school where 92.5% of students qualify as high economic need. Teacher instruction quality is rated 96%, well above the district average of 90%, suggesting strong classroom practice. But the internal temperature is mixed: only 50% of teachers report trusting their principal, and parent satisfaction sits at 83% — noticeably below the district's 94%. The teacher survey drew just 20 responses, which is worth flagging as a small sample.
Community
Validus's student body is 60% Hispanic and 39% Black, with a diversity index of 40% — meaning the school draws from a fairly narrow demographic band rather than a citywide mix. Twenty-six percent of students have IEPs, which is higher than typical and signals robust special education services. The 92.5 economic need index places Validus among the highest-need schools in the system, and that profile mirrors the surrounding neighborhood, where more than four in ten households live in poverty.
Neighborhood
Claremont Village-Claremont (East) is a working-poor corner of the central Bronx where median household income sits around $30,000 and homeownership is just 2.7% — almost everyone rents. Only about 10% of households include children, which is unusually low and partly reflects the demographics of the surrounding blocks. The adult education level is also low, with just 11.4% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.
Three B and D line stops serve the school — 174-175 Sts and 170 St are both about a 13-minute walk, and Tremont Av is about 16 minutes — so most families will rely on the bus or drive rather than the subway.
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 92 families responded (33% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
Through the College Bound Initiative, our full-time Director of College Counseling (DCC) works closely with principal and teachers to create a college-going culture that raises parent and student expectations. DCC guides students to overcome barriers to college entry through early college awareness activities, application, financial aid and enrollment support.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
High school (9th grade)
High school is one citywide application, made in 8th grade. Validus Preparatory Academy admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Validus Preparatory Academy: An Expeditionary Learning SchoolLimited UnscreenedEvent priority81 seats
High school application
- Opened
- Tue, Oct 6
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 4
- Offers
- Wed, Mar 3
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the high school application, in 8th grade.
- 2Programs marked “Event priority” put families who attended an open house, tour or information session first — sign in when you go.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
A program here gives priority to families who attended an event — sign in when you go.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Validus Preparatory Academy a good school?
- On Motley, Validus Preparatory Academy earns an overall rating of 47/100 — the average of the school's four-year graduation rate, the share of its students scoring college-ready (70+) on the English Regents, and its Regents completion rate, shown out of 100.
- What grades does Validus Preparatory Academy serve?
- Validus Preparatory Academy serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into Validus Preparatory Academy?
- Validus Preparatory Academy admits mostly by lottery, with a modest preference for students who show interest (a tour or info session).
- Is Validus Preparatory Academy public, charter, or private?
- Validus Preparatory Academy is a public school in NYC Community School District 9.
- What neighborhood is Validus Preparatory Academy in?
- Validus Preparatory Academy is in Claremont Village-Claremont (East), Bronx.