Jhs 54 Booker T Washington, New York NY

Original Research by School Decision on Jhs 54 Booker T Washington

JHS 54 Booker T Washington is a middle school serving grades six through eight on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, located in the Upper West Side, part of New York City Geographic District 3. The school enrolls a diverse student body of about that size for its grade band, with a composition that is roughly equally distributed across white, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students, and a smaller representation of Black students. About a quarter of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a mixed socioeconomic setting typical of the Upper West Side's blend of professional, educated families alongside those with more limited means.

The school's academic profile is strong across the grades and subjects where data is available. In both sixth and seventh grade, proficiency rates in English language arts and math run in the mid-to-high range. Sixth-grade math proficiency is robust, as is seventh-grade math, which shows strong performance. ELA results across the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades are similarly solid and consistent. Eighth-grade proficiency rates in both ELA and science are reported, with ELA showing comparable strength to the lower grades. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among other districts in New York County, reflecting broad competency across tested subjects and grades. A parent may want to note that eighth-grade math and science testing data are reported from a very small cohort, which can make those results less representative of the full grade-level experience.

The school's peer environment reflects both the diversity of the neighborhood and the specific effect of recent district admissions changes. Beginning with the 2023 admissions cycle, District 3 shifted its middle school entry to a lottery system without academic screens, layering this change onto an existing diversity plan that reserves a quarter of seats at each middle school for low-income and lower-performing students. This means the school intentionally brings together students across a wider range of academic preparation and family circumstance than was the case under prior screening-based admissions. For families who were attracted to screened middle schools for their peer composition, this represents a meaningful shift in school environment.

The Upper West Side context in which the school sits is urban, dense, and highly walkable. The neighborhood is mixed-use, combining residential, retail, and professional space, with schools typically embedded in the block fabric rather than on suburban-style campuses. Public transit is extensive, with the subway providing access to parks, cultural institutions, and other parts of the city. The housing market reflects strong demand and ongoing residential growth; median home values in the 10025 ZIP code, where the school is located, are substantially above both state and national benchmarks, and rents have risen steadily. This is a neighborhood of significant economic activity and investment, anchored partly by education, healthcare, and professional services, and shaped by proximity to Columbia University.

The district itself has navigated several changes that affect school stability and family choice. Proposed closures of other Upper West Side middle schools were withdrawn in spring 2026 after extended community deliberation, resolving some uncertainty but highlighting ongoing conversations about the district's school portfolio. The lottery-based admissions system means families no longer use academic screening to predict their school assignment, a shift that requires reckoning with the broader range of school options and entry paths now in place.

The school offers athletics in baseball, football, girls basketball, soccer, softball, and volleyball, and has a Model UN club. Details on course offerings, electives, and specialized programs were not available from the data provided. A parent interested in understanding the school's curriculum depth, support services, and extracurricular breadth would benefit from consulting the school directly or its website.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Advanced Placement & IB

2 subjects offered · 2023-24

Each card is one AP or IB subject. The headline number is the share of students scoring 3 or higher on the exam — the threshold for college credit at most universities. The bar below each rate shows the underlying distribution across performance levels.

Score:12· no credit345· extremely well qualified

Math and Computer Science

Computer Science A

1 tested · HS

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Other

Literature and Comp

1 tested · HS

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

New York Regents Exams

2 courses reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Science	208	90.0%
Math	206	94.0%

Math

Grade 685%

School 85% · District 61% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 791%

School 91% · District 70% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 50% · ▼ 50 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 683%

School 83% · District 66% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Grade 785%

School 85% · District 70% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 885%

School 85% · District 68% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Science

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 39% · ▼ 39 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 878%

School 78% · district not reported

even with state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT # 3, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income63%Higher-income90%27 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income62%Higher-income92%30 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income95%45 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income61%Higher-income92%31 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income74%Higher-income96%22 pp gap