Original Research by School Decision on Family Life Academy Charter School Iii
Family Life Academy Charter School III is a small elementary charter school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Bronx County. The enrollment is modest, with students distributed fairly evenly across the grade band, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic with a Black student population representing a smaller share. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility data and English learner enrollment counts are not available, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about economic need and language supports in the student population.
The school operates as part of the Family Life Academy Charter Schools network. In 2024, the network expanded significantly with the opening of a new high school facility and a fourth elementary campus. For families at FLACS III, this expansion means children now have a pathway to continue through middle and high school within the same network in the Bronx, rather than needing to transition elsewhere after fifth grade. This network continuity may appeal to families seeking stability through the early grades.
State assessment data is not available in the public record for this school. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Without testing results, a parent cannot assess academic proficiency against state benchmarks or see how the school's achievement compares locally. This data gap is not uncommon for smaller charter schools and may reflect reporting requirements or the school's early stage, but it is important context: parents should request this information directly from the school and ask how they measure student progress in reading and math.
Chronic absenteeism at the school is above the midpoint among Bronx County's districts, meaning attendance is a measurable concern. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly to understand whether absences are concentrated among certain students or whether they reflect broader engagement challenges, and what supports the school offers to address regular attendance.
Per-pupil spending is in the upper-middle range among county districts, suggesting the school has moderate resources allocated to student instruction and services relative to its peers.
The school's charter was renewed for a three-year term running through 2027, confirming its authorization to operate. The renewal came with a shorter term than the network's flagship school, which received a four-year renewal. For families weighing the school's long-term outlook, the shorter renewal window is worth noting as one factor in assessing stability.
The network recently received a philanthropic gift from MacKenzie Scott, providing unrestricted resources that can support program stability and student services. For a small charter school in a resource-constrained urban setting, this kind of discretionary funding may support enrichment, staffing, or facility improvements beyond what the base per-pupil allocation covers.
Prospective families should request detailed information about the school's academic curriculum, how it assesses student learning without state test data, what special education and English learner services it provides, and the drivers behind the attendance gap. The combination of a small, stable K-5 setting with network K-12 continuity and recent philanthropic support presents one pathway for elementary education in the Bronx; the attendance rate and data gaps warrant direct conversation with school leadership.
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