Original Research by School Decision on Brooklyn Charter School (the)
The Brooklyn Charter School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Kings County, enrolling a small population across its single location. The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic enrollment and very small numbers of Asian, Native American, and white students; no white students make up more than a few percent of enrollment. Data on free- or reduced-price lunch eligibility and English learner status were not available, limiting a full picture of economic and language backgrounds.
Academic performance tells a mixed story that a family would want to explore directly with the school. Publicly reported data indicates that math proficiency has improved markedly over recent years, with a substantially higher share of students reaching proficiency in math than in earlier years. Reading proficiency, by contrast, remains well below the New York state average. This divergence means the school's strength and ongoing work are both plain: families should ask what instructional shifts are driving the math gains and what reading interventions are underway to lift that measure.
The school went through its New York City Department of Education charter renewal process recently, with a public hearing held to solicit community input. For families considering a long-term K-5 placement, the successful completion of renewal is significant. It determines whether the school continues operating as a stable educational home through elementary grades.
Enrollment has fluctuated over recent years. The school describes itself as educating a specific student population in grades K-5, though third-party profiles report somewhat different figures, reflecting the enrollment pressures common to New York City charter schools. A parent might ask the school directly about current enrollment trends and class-size stability to understand the learning environment over the coming years.
Among Kings County's districts, the school reports a chronic absenteeism rate in the bottom quartile, meaning absenteeism is notably higher than the median across the county. This pattern deserves attention: high absenteeism can reflect transportation barriers, health or family instability, or other systemic challenges that shape both individual student outcomes and school culture. A family would benefit from asking what support systems the school has in place to address attendance and what underlying factors the school has identified.
Per-pupil current spending at the school falls in the upper range among the county's districts, meaning the school allocates resources at a level above most of its peers. State assessment data and four-year graduation rates were not available, likely because the school serves only elementary grades through fifth, which are not subject to the state's high school assessments and graduation tracking.
The school's website indicates a commitment to placing two highly qualified educators in each classroom, a staffing model that differs from many public elementary schools and reflects the school's approach to class structure. A parent evaluating fit would want to understand not only class size but also how the school uses this co-teaching model in practice.
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