Urban Institute of Mathematics, Bronx NY

Original Research by School Decision on Urban Institute of Mathematics

Urban Institute of Mathematics is a middle school serving grades six through eight in the Bronx, located in the Pelham Bay area on the eastern edge of the borough. The school enrolls a student body that is substantially Hispanic, with a large share of Black students and smaller populations of Asian and white students. Roughly four of every five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the neighborhood.

In state math testing, Urban Institute shows a pattern of declining proficiency as students move up the grade levels. Sixth graders reached about a solid midrange result, seventh graders dropped noticeably, and eighth graders fell further still. The same slope appears in English language arts, where sixth-grade proficiency sat at a solid level and eighth-grade proficiency landed below that. Science proficiency in eighth grade was substantially lower than either core subject, suggesting the school may want to look into science instruction and test readiness further with the administration. Across all tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency sits in the top quartile relative to other districts in Bronx County, a meaningful position that reflects the school's standing locally even as individual grade trends show challenge.

Most students who took the state tests participated; participation rates in eighth-grade math and science were lower than in sixth and seventh grade, which parents may want to clarify with the school when considering whether scheduling or other factors affect testing engagement in the upper grades.

The school sits within New York City Geographic District 8, which has experienced sustained enrollment decline over recent years as both school-aged residents decreased and families moved toward charter options, leaving the district with unused seats. At the same time, District 8 and the city have implemented major curriculum changes: beginning in September 2025, all middle schools in the district, including this one, moved to the Amplify Desmos Math curriculum and expanded the NYC Reads literacy mandate into grades six through eight. These standardized pathways replaced the prior system where schools selected their own materials.

For families considering middle schools in the Bronx, admissions have also opened up; students can now apply to middle schools across district lines rather than being restricted to within-district schools, though priority is preserved for the home district. This means families have more choice but also that schools like Urban Institute compete more broadly for students.

The Bronx overall is in a strong growth phase, with major affordable housing development underway in multiple neighborhoods and significant transit expansion planned through the Penn Access project, which will add four new Metro-North stations. The borough is dominated by health-care employment, anchored by Montefiore Medical Center, along with public schools and nonprofits. The physical landscape ranges from dense urban corridors to quieter, more suburban residential blocks, and the area is generally walkable, with commercial and civic life organized around transit hubs and neighborhood centers rather than a single downtown.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

3 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
Math	31	100.0%
Social Studies	31	90.0%
Science	30	87.0%

Math

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 38% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 43% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 39% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 36% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 753%

School 53% · District 40% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 43% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 34% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT # 8, 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-income60%Higher-income58%1 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income48%Higher-income75%27 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income39%Higher-income74%35 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income63%Higher-income69%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income49%Higher-income70%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income37%Higher-income63%26 pp gap