Original Research by School Decision on Dream Charter School Highbridge
DREAM Charter School Highbridge is a small, newly founded charter school serving Kindergarten and first grade in the South Bronx. It opened in fall of 2022 as the sixth campus in the DREAM Charter network and the first dedicated specifically to the Highbridge neighborhood. The school began with two Kindergarten classes and has added one grade level each year as designed. This is a young, still-growing institution rather than an established school, and families choosing it are signing on to that expansion model.
The school serves about equal numbers of Kindergarten and first-grade students. The student body is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with small numbers of students identifying as Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or multiracial. Data on the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, in special education, or classified as English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations and the supports in place.
In fall 2024, the school relocated to its permanent home at River Avenue in a structure designed to house the school long-term. The facility is a seventeen-story residential building where DREAM Highbridge occupies the first two levels and part of the basement. The space includes classrooms for general instruction, along with specialized rooms for music, dance, art, and science, and a gymnasium. The location sits within walking distance of multiple subway lines, which matters for families relying on public transit. The permanent facility carries capacity to grow through eighth grade, and the school plans to add one grade annually. This move from temporary quarters to a designed, permanent home signals a shift in stability and infrastructure that families in the area may find meaningful.
No state assessment data was reported for this entity, which is typical for schools serving only Kindergarten and first grade, since New York does not assess reading and mathematics at those grades. Accordingly, no proficiency data or graduation rates appear for comparison.
The school does report a chronic absenteeism rate that places it in the bottom quartile among Bronx County districts. This is a soft spot worth exploring further with the school. A parent may want to understand whether this reflects transportation barriers, health challenges, enrollment of families new to the area, or other factors, and what supports the school has in place to address attendance.
DREAM Charter operates on an extended-day, extended-year model across its campuses. The Highbridge school is part of a larger network, which may offer families consistency if they remain in the network as their child advances through the grades planned for future years.
The school is charter-operated, which means it receives public funding but operates under a charter contract with independence in curriculum, scheduling, and hiring. Families should clarify with the school how it plans to serve the neighborhood as it grows, whether spots will remain available in the Highbridge location for returning students, and how grade progression will work.
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