Young Women's Leadership School of the Bronx

ELA proficiency at 50.3% runs about six points above the district average of 44.8%, and the trajectory is genuinely positive — up from 37.2% in 2016. Math tells a different story: 28.3% proficiency sits roughly 16 points below the district average of 44.7%, and scores have bounced between 21.8% and 41.8% over the past several years with no clear trend. The 8th-grade math proficiency of 12.9% is particularly striking and worth asking about. Overall school quality score of 1.6/4 lands below the district average of 1.8/4, dragged down by the math picture.

The climate numbers are almost split-personality. Attendance rate of 92.5% is above the district average — kids who show up are showing up. But chronic absenteeism at 77.5% means more than three-quarters of students are missing enough school to count as chronically absent, which is a serious red flag regardless of the daily attendance figure. On the upside, parent-teacher trust (98%), parent-principal trust (98%), and teacher-rated instruction quality (92%) are all strong, and an 80% family survey response rate signals unusually engaged parents. Discipline is light — 8 suspensions, a 2% rate — though the trend has crept up from zero three years ago.

The student body is 65% Hispanic and 27% Black, with 5% Asian and small White and multiracial shares — a diversity index of 51%. The economic need index of 84.5% means most students come from low-income households, and 18% have IEPs. Screened admissions keep the doors selective: a 20% acceptance rate means this isn't a default assignment, and families actively choose to be here. The school sits in a neighborhood where the median household income is $41,487 and 31.4% of residents live below the poverty line, so the student body largely reflects the surrounding Mount Hope community.

Mount Hope is a working-class, family-rooted stretch of the central Bronx. Median household income sits at $41,487, with 31.4% of households below the poverty line and just 3.9% homeownership — most families rent. About 13% of households have children, and only 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The neighborhood reflects a community where many families are stretched financially, and where stable, trusted school options matter.

Transit access is a real strength — the 176 St (4) stop is about a 3-minute walk, 174-175 Sts (B D) is about 4 minutes, and Tremont Av (B D) is roughly 5 minutes, so most families have multiple subway options within a short walk.