Grand Concourse Academy Charter School, Bronx NY

Original Research by School Decision on Grand Concourse Academy Charter School

Grand Concourse Academy Charter School is a public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade, located on Bolton Avenue in the Bronx. The school operates in a purpose-built campus that includes solar panels, an outdoor amphitheater, playgrounds for both younger and older grades, a basketball court, and a running track, according to publicly reported information. In early 2024 the SUNY Charter Schools Institute recommended a full five-year renewal of the school's charter, publicly citing strong academic performance and authorizing growth toward a larger total enrollment. For families considering the school, that renewal confirms continued operation through the late 2020s and the likelihood of expanding seats.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic and Black, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school squarely in the context of urban, high-poverty elementary and middle education. IEP and English learner counts were not reported in the data available.

Academic performance on the New York State Testing Program, measured across tested grades, is the clearest strength here. Relative to other districts in Bronx County, the school's overall proficiency index sits in the top quartile of the comparison set. Within the school, math results vary by grade in a way worth understanding. Third, fifth, and seventh graders are all performing well above the midpoint of proficiency on state assessments, and eighth graders show particularly strong math results. Sixth grade math is the one outlier, sitting noticeably lower than the other grades. Whether that reflects cohort variation, a transition challenge at the start of middle school, or something else is worth asking the school about directly.

ELA results are consistently strong. Third, seventh, and eighth graders all show high proficiency rates, and fifth grade is solid as well. Fourth and sixth grade ELA trail the school's own pattern somewhat but still represent the majority of students performing at or above grade level. Science proficiency, tested at fifth and eighth grade, lands in a moderate range, below the school's math and ELA high points. The SUNY renewal report publicly described the school as outperforming its district comparison by a meaningful margin in ELA, which aligns with what the grade-level data show.

The school's physical setting is the East Bronx neighborhood around Bolton Avenue, a part of the borough that sits between the dense commercial corridors of the South Bronx and the more residential pockets of the East Bronx. The Bronx as a whole is in a strong housing development phase, with major affordable housing construction projects publicly announced across multiple neighborhoods, and the borough's share of new residential units citywide has grown substantially in recent years. Home values in the zip code that covers the school run modestly above the statewide median and well above the national median, which speaks to the competitive New York City housing market broadly rather than a suburban or exurban context. Rental costs in the area are high relative to national norms.

There is no graduation rate to report: the school ends at eighth grade, so that metric does not apply. Program-specific offerings beyond the physical campus features were not detailed in the available data.

For families weighing this school, the profile is a K-8 charter in a high-poverty urban setting that consistently produces above-average state test results, has just received a full charter renewal, and occupies a purpose-built building with meaningful outdoor and community space. The sixth grade math dip is a real data point, not a reason to dismiss the school, but a parent of a rising sixth grader may want to ask what supports are in place for that transition year.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 375%

School 75% · district not reported

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

Grade 460%

School 60% · district not reported

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

Grade 567%

School 67% · district not reported

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

Grade 642%

School 42% · district not reported

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

Grade 774%

School 74% · district not reported

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

Grade 886%

School 86% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 383%

School 83% · district not reported

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 467%

School 67% · district not reported

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

Grade 574%

School 74% · district not reported

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

Grade 663%

School 63% · district not reported

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

Grade 786%

School 86% · district not reported

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Grade 883%

School 83% · district not reported

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Science

Grade 559%

School 59% · district not reported

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

Grade 860%

School 60% · district not reported

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 598%

School 98% · district not reported

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 22 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-income77%Higher-income100%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income58%Higher-income91%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income75%Higher-income73%1 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income66%Higher-income53%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income85%Higher-income88%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income84%Higher-income81%2 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income76%Higher-income71%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income52%Higher-income83%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income63%Higher-income80%17 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income21%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income78%Higher-income65%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income86%Higher-income88%2 pp gap