Original Research by School Decision on Icahn Charter School 3
Icahn Charter School 3 is a small, independent charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Bronx County. The school enrolls roughly children across its grade band, with a student body that is predominantly Black and Hispanic. State testing data was not available in the records reviewed, so academic performance cannot be assessed from state proficiency measures. However, the school has a strong external endorsement: it was named a National Blue Ribbon School in recognition of overall academic performance and progress in closing achievement gaps, a designation based on school visit and review by federal evaluators.
The school's charter was recommended for renewal by SUNY in January for a full five-year term without conditions, extending authorization through the early part of the next decade. The renewal recommendation noted that the Icahn schools maintained exemplary academic performance throughout the current charter term, with steady achievement and growth despite pandemic disruptions. Publicly reported data from the school's renewal documentation indicated that mathematics proficiency rates for all tested students exceeded local district rates by substantial margins, and students with disabilities outperformed local district results in both English language arts and mathematics by large margins in each year of the recent term.
Chronic absenteeism at the school stands in the top quartile among Bronx County districts, meaning the school has succeeded in keeping attendance strong relative to its peers. Per-pupil spending at the school is in the lower range for county districts, indicating the school operates with leaner resources than the median in its region.
The school does not report data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, or English learner enrollment, gaps that would help paint a fuller picture of student need. The school's website and detailed contact information were not located during research, which may reflect the small size and independent charter structure of the school; a parent would want to contact the school directly or consult the SUNY Charter Schools Institute's documents on the school for current program and enrollment details.
Going forward, the Icahn Schools board plans to merge the separate education corporations that oversee the individual Icahn schools into a single education corporation in a future charter term. This is a governance streamlining that would affect administrative operations but should not alter the school's instructional direction.
For families considering this school, the strong external validation, solid attendance record, and documented success with students with disabilities in recent testing suggest a school with a track record of serving its population effectively. The small enrollment and limited publicly available data mean a parent would benefit from direct conversation with the school about curriculum, instruction, daily schedule, and support services before applying.
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