Bronx Charter School for Children, Bronx NY

Original Research by School Decision on Bronx Charter School for Children

Bronx Charter School for Children is a small, kindergarten through eighth-grade charter school in the South Bronx, serving an economically and linguistically homogeneous student population. Nearly all students are Latino, and the overwhelming majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing this squarely among high-poverty schools whose mission centers on serving low-income families in a neighborhood with limited alternatives.

The school's academic performance is uneven. In the upper grades, results are notably stronger. Eighth-grade students show solid proficiency in English language arts and science, with roughly seven in ten meeting state standards in each subject. Seventh-grade math and English proficiency also runs around half or better. By contrast, the elementary grades show considerable weakness. Third and fourth grades report proficiency rates in the mid-to-high thirties in both math and English, and fifth grade math proficiency drops to roughly one in seven students, among the lowest numbers on the school's assessment roster. Fifth-grade science proficiency similarly lags at around one in five. This pattern—low early-grade results climbing substantially as students move into middle school—suggests either that the school struggles with early literacy and numeracy instruction, or that some students gain competency as they mature and move through subsequent years. Either way, a parent placing a young child at this school should be alert to these early-grade numbers and may want to look into further detail with school leadership about how the school addresses foundational skills gaps.

The school's overall proficiency index, when averaged across tested grades and subjects, places it in the top quartile among Bronx County school districts, a meaningful strength that reflects the upper-grade lift. This positions the school well relative to its immediate peer set, though the volatility across grades is notable.

The student body numbers around five hundred students, distributed fairly evenly across grades, making it a manageable size. The school expanded its grade offering from K-5 to K-8 in recent years, a change that lets families continue through middle school without switching buildings. The Board of Regents renewed the school's charter for five years in mid-2024, assuring operational continuity through the end of the decade.

The school offers student council and yearbook as listed activities; state testing data was available, but information on additional academics, arts offerings, sports, or extracurricular depth was not provided. The school's website location was not given in the available data, so a parent looking for program details would need to search directly for enrollment information and course offerings.

The South Bronx location sits in a walkable, transit-accessible urban neighborhood. Housing values in the zip code are elevated by New York standards, reflecting both Bronx-borough growth and the tight supply of housing citywide. The area is in active development, with major affordable housing projects and waterfront redevelopment planned nearby, suggesting both neighborhood investment and ongoing economic transition. Employment is anchored by healthcare institutions, with Montefiore Medical Center as the largest employer in the borough. The neighborhood is served by subway and bus transit; the planned Penn Access Metro-North expansion will add new commuter rail stops across the Bronx, though completion dates remain uncertain.

For a family seeking an elementary option with strong upper-grade momentum and continuity through eighth grade, this school's later-year proficiency numbers merit serious consideration. For those with early-elementary students, the pattern warrants direct conversation with school staff about pedagogical approach and intervention support to understand whether early-grade results reflect initial adjustment, insufficient remediation, or other factors.

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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
Science	24	54.0%

Math

Grade 340%

School 40% · district not reported

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

Grade 437%

School 37% · district not reported

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 515%

School 15% · district not reported

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 635%

School 35% · district not reported

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 753%

School 53% · district not reported

even with state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 864%

School 64% · district not reported

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 339%

School 39% · district not reported

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

Grade 425%

School 25% · district not reported

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 528%

School 28% · district not reported

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

Grade 646%

School 46% · district not reported

even with state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 751%

School 51% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 871%

School 71% · district not reported

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · district not reported

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

Grade 877%

School 77% · district not reported

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 582%

School 82% · district not reported

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

This schoolDistrict average, 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 3Lower-income39%Higher-income40%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income23%Higher-income43%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income29%0 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income40%Higher-income40%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income37%Higher-income38%0 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income15%Higher-income14%0 pp gap