Original Research by School Decision on Leaders in Our Neighborhood Charter School
Leaders In Our Neighborhood (LION) Charter School is a K-12 public charter serving students in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx. The school enrolls a mix across all grades, with elementary classes roughly even in size and secondary grades similarly distributed. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black student population; Asian, white, and Native American students make up a very small share.
The school underwent a significant identity and pedagogical shift around 2024. It rebranded from Hyde Leadership Charter School to LION, dropping the Hyde model of character education that had centered on family-based personal growth and parent report cards alongside student grades. That prior model required strong parent participation, including mandatory monthly meetings and a commitment to reflect on family growth as part of the school's mission. The new identity operates under a different stated approach: culturally relevant, student-centered learning with a skills-based social-emotional program and Common Core-aligned curriculum across elementary and middle grades. For families considering the school, this represents a meaningful change in philosophy and family involvement expectations.
State assessment data was not available in the records reviewed, so academic proficiency levels and trends cannot be characterized here. No graduation rate was reported. A parent may want to ask the school directly about high school outcomes, college placement, and how the K-12 pathway develops across grades.
On chronic absenteeism, LION sits in the top quartile among Bronx County's districts, meaning absenteeism rates are comparatively low. Per-pupil spending is in the middle-to-upper range for the county, placing it above the midpoint of district spending locally.
The school is authorized by the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York and operates as a tuition-free public charter. As a charter serving the South Bronx, it draws from a neighborhood with significant economic pressures; specific household-income or poverty data for the school's families was not available. Free-and-reduced-price lunch participation and special education and English learner enrollment rates were not reported, so a family cannot assess from this data alone whether the school's support systems for those populations are described or transparent. The school's own website and a direct conversation may clarify what services and programming are in place.
See more original research from School Decision →