Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy, Brooklyn NY

Original Research by School Decision on Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy

Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy is a public middle school serving grades six through eight in the Flatbush neighborhood. It is a regular public school, not a charter, and draws its student body from Geographic District 18 in Brooklyn. The school operates as a neighborhood middle school without selective admissions or a specialized application process.

The school serves a student population that is predominantly Black, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced price lunch. The enrollment is small to mid-sized for a New York City middle school, with roughly balanced cohorts across the three grades. State testing data for math show consistent proficiency in the low to mid range across all three grades, with sixth and eighth grade performing nearly identically and seventh grade slightly below. English language arts results are more variable by grade: sixth grade shows notably lower proficiency than the other two grades, while seventh grade reaches the highest level of the three, and eighth grade settles in the middle. The school also reports proficiency data for eighth-grade science at a level broadly in line with its math performance.

Overall, the school's proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile relative to other middle schools in Kings County. This is a meaningful strength and reflects solid academic work in a school serving a high-poverty neighborhood. One parent concern may be the gap in sixth-grade English language arts performance compared to seventh grade; a parent might want to ask the school directly about sixth-grade reading instruction and whether there are specific supports in place to help that cohort progress. Test participation rates are high, indicating the school administers assessments consistently.

The school sits in the 11203 zip code in central Brooklyn, an area of dense residential blocks and active neighborhood life. Brooklyn as a whole is experiencing rapid growth and housing development, particularly in Downtown Brooklyn and mixed-use corridors. The neighborhood around the school is walkable with local retail and services accessible on foot, and transit is robust. Housing values in the zip code are substantial and rising, reflecting the broader Brooklyn real estate market. The area is home to major employers in healthcare and education, including academic medical centers and hospital systems.

New York City has recently mandated curriculum standards for reading and math in elementary and middle schools under the NYC Reads and NYC Solves initiatives. These programs take effect for middle schools like this one by fall 2027, standardizing instruction across the district. For families considering this school, this means consistent reading and math frameworks will be in place, though the transition timeline is worth tracking.

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

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
Math	25	100.0%
Science	19	89.0%

Math

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 45% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 762%

School 62% · District 55% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 55% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 49% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 772%

School 72% · District 56% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 866%

School 66% · District 54% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 39% · ▲ 23 pts above district

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

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #18, 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-income52%Higher-income65%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income73%Higher-income69%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income66%Higher-income63%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income58%Higher-income80%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income62%Higher-income60%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income63%Higher-income60%3 pp gap