Original Research by School Decision on Pharos Academy Charter School
Pharos Academy Charter School is a kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade charter school in Bronx County, currently serving a population of about seven hundred students. The school's student body is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with a smaller representation of other racial and ethnic groups. The school does not have reported data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, students with individualized education plans, or English learner enrollment, so the economic and special-education profile cannot be determined from available information.
The school underwent significant recent changes. It transitioned from being part of the Lighthouse Academies network to becoming an independent charter and renamed itself from Bronx Lighthouse Charter School to Pharos Academy Charter School. This shift brought academic services in-house and was intended to strengthen local governance and community voice. The school's authorized enrollment was also increased by the New York State Board of Regents in 2023, retroactive to July 2022, which means the school has been gradually growing its student body and will continue to add seats across its grade levels over time.
In terms of facilities and resources, Pharos Academy won an appeal in 2024 requiring the New York City Department of Education to provide rental assistance for grade-level expansion, with payments commencing in the 2023-24 school year. This provides financial support for the school's expansion and facility needs.
State academic proficiency data for the school were not available, making it impossible to assess student achievement in tested subjects and grades. The school's graduation rate was also not reported. Without these metrics, a reader cannot evaluate how students perform on state exams or the rate at which students complete the K-12 sequence.
Among Bronx County's districts, Pharos Academy reports a chronic absenteeism rate that falls above the county median, meaning a higher proportion of students are chronically absent than the typical district in the county. Per-pupil current spending at the school sits in the lower half of the middle range compared to other county districts, suggesting the school operates with somewhat constrained resources relative to some peers but is not among the lowest spenders.
The school serves students across all elementary, middle, and high school grades, with enrollment relatively consistent across early and middle grades and a notably larger cohort entering ninth grade. A parent or resident considering this school may want to look further into the school's academic results and attendance trends directly with administration, as publicly available state data do not show proficiency or graduation metrics.
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