The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on West Bronx Academy for the Future
West Bronx Academy for the Future is a regular public middle and high school serving grades six through twelve, located on Fordham Road in the Bronx. The school has a student body of roughly six hundred, with enrollment fairly evenly distributed across grades. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student population is predominantly Hispanic, with substantial Black enrollment and very few white or Asian students.
On state assessments, the school's proficiency rates are quite low across the board. In mathematics, proficiency in sixth and seventh grade hovers around the low teens, and eighth-grade math proficiency is similarly low. In English language arts, sixth and seventh grade proficiency sits in the high twenties, while eighth-grade ELA proficiency reaches roughly half of students. Science proficiency in eighth grade is around a quarter of students. These results place the school in the bottom quartile among districts in Bronx County on overall proficiency. The school's average scale scores across subjects and grades are consistently in the low four-hundreds, which reflects foundational gaps. One note on the data: participation rates for eighth-grade math and science are notably lower than for ELA, falling below sixty percent, which may indicate scheduling or enrollment patterns in those upper grades that would be worth exploring directly with the school.
The school's grade band spans both middle and high school, but the state testing data provided covers only grades six through eight, as New York does not administer standardized proficiency tests in high school grades. The school's graduation rate and other high school outcomes are not included in the available data.
The Bronx itself is in a period of substantial growth, with major affordable housing developments underway and dense transit infrastructure anchoring neighborhoods. Fordham Heights, where the school sits, is among the borough's most walkable areas, with the Fordham Plaza transit hub nearby and commercial corridors within easy reach. The broader Bronx economy is anchored by health care and institutional employment, with parks like Bronx Park and the New York Botanical Garden providing civic infrastructure. The housing market in the area has appreciated modestly year-over-year, and rents are rising; median home values in the zip code sit above the state benchmark.
At the district level, NYC's reinstatement of academic screening for selective high school admissions beginning in the 2023-24 cycle means competition for screened seats now hinges on seventh-grade grades, with top performers gaining priority. The district also lost enrollment over recent years and carries excess middle school seats, which may shift dynamics as citywide school choice expands. For elementary literacy, District 10 adopted a phonics-based curriculum in the 2024-25 school year as part of the city's NYC Reads mandate, a change from prior school-chosen approaches.
A parent considering this school may want to look further into the school's high school program and outcomes, given that the available data covers only middle grades, and to ask the school directly about the lower testing participation rates in eighth-grade math and science and what they signal about course structure or enrollment.
See more original research from School Decision →