Ms 324 Patria Mirabal, New York NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ms 324 Patria Mirabal

MS 324 Patria Mirabal is a regular public middle school serving sixth, seventh, and eighth grades in upper Manhattan. The school enrolls a small student body with a very high concentration of economically disadvantaged students and a heavily Hispanic student population. Roughly nine out of ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and nearly nine out of ten students identify as Hispanic. The school sits within Geographic District 6, which has experienced enrollment declines over recent years as fewer families live in the zone and charter-school options have expanded.

Academic performance data show a clear pattern of growth from sixth grade into eighth. In sixth-grade math, about a third of students tested achieved proficiency. By eighth grade, that share nearly doubled, with roughly seven in ten students demonstrating proficiency in mathematics. The trend in English language arts is more muted. Sixth graders showed proficiency rates in the low thirties, and eighth graders edged modestly higher to roughly the same range. Across the board, proficiency rates in both subjects remain below the midpoint among other districts serving New York County, placing the school in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades.

The eighth-grade science results offer a brighter picture. About two-thirds of eighth graders met proficiency standards, suggesting stronger student performance in that domain. Sixth and seventh grade science testing data were not available, which is consistent with New York's testing schedule for those grades.

Participation in state testing has been solid. Most grades show participation rates in the low to mid-nineties, though sixth-grade English language arts participation was notably lower at around four-fifths. This may reflect legitimate absences or opt-outs and is worth understanding directly from the school.

The school's math trajectory is encouraging to watch. The progression from sixth to eighth grade shows meaningful growth, and eighth-grade proficiency in both math and science suggests the school is creating conditions where older students build stronger academic footing. The softer English language arts performance, even at the eighth-grade level, deserves attention. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand literacy support, curriculum, and how the school addresses reading development alongside the district's recent adoption of phonics-based reading programs.

District 6 itself is undergoing consolidation and curriculum reform. Every elementary school in the district now uses one of three state-approved phonics-based programs as part of NYC Reads, a mandate that replaced balanced-literacy approaches across the city. This shift does not directly apply to middle school instruction, though it signals the district's emphasis on explicit, structured literacy. The district has also expanded Bill Lynch from K-5 to K-8 to address middle-school demand, and enrollment-driven school mergers and re-sitings have reshaped building use and family stability across the district. These changes underscore a district adapting to shifting enrollment and community needs.

The neighborhood context is dense, transit-rich, and economically mixed. New York City's housing market is active and home prices are well above the state average. Walkability is high, and daily life is shaped by subway access, parks, libraries, and ferries. The city economy is anchored by finance, professional services, and rapidly expanding technology sectors. This backdrop means families accessing Patria Mirabal are doing so within a city where housing costs are steep, transit is central to daily life, and economic diversity coexists with concentrated poverty in many neighborhoods. The school's high free-and-reduced-lunch enrollment reflects the economic reality of its immediate catchment area.

For a family considering Patria Mirabal, the school offers a traditional middle-school pathway in a dense urban setting with strong eighth-grade math and science results that suggest capable instruction at the upper grades. The lower English language arts proficiency across all grades warrants direct conversation with the school about literacy support and the reading programs in place. The small size and neighborhood embeddedness are characteristics to weigh against the school's academic profile and the range of other middle-school options available to District 6 families.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

1 course 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
Math	8	100.0%

Math

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 53% · ▼ 53 pts below district

▼ 51 pts below state median · ▼ 56 pts below county median

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 40% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 51% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 55% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 72 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 54% · ▼ 54 pts below district

▼ 54 pts below state median · ▼ 65 pts below county median

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 42% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 723%

School 23% · District 43% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 49% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 41% · ▼ 41 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 46 pts below county median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 45% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 59 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 850%

School 50% · district not reported

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT # 6, 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 7Lower-income22%Higher-income33%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income20%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income40%Higher-income83%43 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income72%Higher-income71%0 pp gap