Madiba Prep Middle School, Brooklyn NY

Original Research by School Decision on Madiba Prep Middle School

Madiba Prep is a small middle school in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, serving grades six through eight. The enrollment is modest, with students distributed roughly evenly across the three grade levels. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with smaller representation among other groups.

The school's academic performance, measured by New York State testing, shows proficiency rates that are below the median among other districts in Kings County. In math, sixth-grade proficiency is around the low-to-mid range, while seventh and eighth grades show declining proficiency. English language arts proficiency is notably lower, particularly in grades seven and eight, where results are well below the starting point in sixth grade. Science proficiency for eighth grade is the weakest area, with a very small portion of students testing at proficient or above. It is worth noting that not all students who enrolled participated in the state assessments; participation was lower in sixth grade than in higher grades.

A parent considering this school may want to look further into whether the school has action plans around these proficiency gaps, particularly in English language arts and science. The state testing data reflects a school where many students are working below grade level in core subjects, and the downward trend from sixth to eighth grade in language arts warrants direct conversation with school leadership about instruction and support.

The school sits in a high-poverty neighborhood with very limited housing affordability. Home values in the zip code are substantially above the state average, and rents have risen in recent years. This reflects Brooklyn's broader growth and development trajectory; the borough led New York City in residential construction in recent years, including significant new housing in downtown Brooklyn and continuing development in neighborhoods like Williamsburg. Despite the boom in new supply, housing costs remain a significant barrier for families. Public transit is dense and walkable, with strong subway and bus access throughout the borough.

District 16, which includes Madiba Prep and serves central Brooklyn, has introduced a standardized reading curriculum (Into Reading) in its elementary schools and is preparing to implement new approved mathematics curricula as part of the city's NYC Solves initiative. New York State's class size cap law will also affect the school as it phases in, which may help offset some instructional challenges given the school's high-poverty enrollment.

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Academic performance

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

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	24	42.0%
Math	22	95.0%

Math

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 42% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 57% · ▼ 4 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 43% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 47% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 53% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 52% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Science

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 43% · ▼ 27 pts below district

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

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #16, 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 8Lower-income35%Higher-income57%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 8Lower-income42%Higher-income86%44 pp gap