Original Research by School Decision on Bronx Charter School for Excellence 5
Bronx Charter School for Excellence 5 is a small elementary charter school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across those grades. The school is part of the Excellence Community Schools network, a charter operator in the Bronx, and it occupies a particular place in the city's school landscape: it is newer, deliberately designed to grow, and built around a specific instructional model.
The school's student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share who are Black, and very few students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. Data on free and reduced-price lunch eligibility and on English learners were not available in the records examined, so a parent looking to understand economic or language need should ask the school directly about those populations.
The defining feature of this school is its pedagogical approach. It uses a structured, longer school day with two teachers in most classrooms, and it centers on Singapore Math-based curriculum: Eureka Math in the elementary grades, aligned to a network-wide model. The network's flagship school, Bronx Excellence 1, earned a National Blue Ribbon Award, and Excellence 5 operates under the same academic framework. This consistency and high-expectation design is what the school leans on as its core value proposition. Parents considering the school should understand that the longer day and the structured, math-intensive curriculum are intentional choices, not incidental; families drawn to a more open or play-based early childhood experience may want to look at other options.
On state testing, the school's proficiency results, where they have been reported, sit well above the average among Bronx County's districts. State assessment data specific to this school's most recent results were not included in the records reviewed, so a parent should request those directly from the school or look them up on the state's public accountability dashboard to see the exact performance trends.
Chronic absenteeism at the school is above the midpoint among Bronx County's districts, meaning the rate is higher than the median across the county's school systems. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand whether this reflects broader borough patterns, transportation challenges, or school-specific factors.
Per-pupil spending at the school is in the middle-to-lower range among county districts, a financially lean position typical of many charter schools operating in the city.
The school is expanding deliberately, having opened with just two grades and adding one grade per year. It will welcome its first eighth-grade class in the 2026-27 school year, eventually becoming a full K-8 school. For families, this means a child entering in an early grade can, if desired, stay through the end of middle school without needing to transfer. That continuity is a practical advantage for families prioritizing stability. Beginning in 2026-27, the elementary grades (K-4) will relocate to a separate building, a change that affects commute and building environment that families should factor in.
This is a school built around consistency, structure, and a proven instructional model, operating at a scale small enough that relationships may develop quickly. It asks parents to embrace a longer school day and a particular math pedagogy. It has demonstrated strong results on state exams relative to its district peers, though a parent should pull the latest data directly. Absenteeism is a softer spot worth exploring with the school.
See more original research from School Decision →