The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Young Women's Leadership School of Brooklyn
Young Women's Leadership School of Brooklyn is a public middle and high school serving grades six through twelve in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn. The school enrolled a small student body and operates as a regular public school without selective admissions.
The school serves a predominantly low-income student population. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating economic need well above the state average. The student body is racially diverse, with Black and Hispanic students each making up substantial shares, while Asian, white, and other groups represent smaller portions of enrollment.
Academic proficiency across the school is low. In sixth and seventh grade math, around a quarter of tested students scored at proficiency. Eighth grade math proficiency dropped further to around one in six students. English language arts showed more variation by grade: sixth grade proficiency reached around two in five students, seventh grade around one in three, but eighth grade rose sharply to around three in five. Eighth grade science testing data was not available. These results place the school in the bottom quartile among schools tested in Kings County when proficiency is measured across subjects and grades.
The disparities within the school are notable. Sixth and seventh grade students show higher proficiency rates in English language arts than in math, a pattern that shifts in eighth grade where ELA proficiency becomes stronger still. Yet eighth grade math proficiency remains depressed, suggesting students in that grade cohort are struggling with quantitative reasoning. A parent may want to look into whether the school offers additional math support or intervention for students not meeting grade-level standards.
The school's enrollment is small for its grade band, spanning from twelve grades across around two hundred sixty students. This compact size means individual students and families are likely to be known to staff, but it also means fewer sections per grade, fewer course options in high school grades, and less specialized programming than larger schools. The student population is stable in size, so families can reasonably expect the school to remain open and to maintain its current character.
The school sits in Williamsburg, a neighborhood in rapid residential and commercial change. Housing costs in the area are high and rising. The neighborhood is highly walkable with dense transit access, frequent retail and dining, and active street life. Brooklyn itself is in strong growth, with major new residential development, especially in downtown areas and commercial corridors. Healthcare and higher education are major employment sectors in the borough, alongside a growing tech industry. These economic conditions mean families working in Brooklyn's anchor institutions or in neighborhoods close to transit hubs may find the school's location convenient, but housing affordability in the surrounding area remains a pressure on families the school serves.
District-wide, New York City eliminated selective admissions screens for middle schools, meaning entry to this school now relies on lottery rather than test-based placement. The city has also mandated class-size reductions phasing in over the late 2020s, a change that affects classroom conditions and staffing across all public schools including this one. District 14, which encompasses Williamsburg and Greenpoint, has seen steep enrollment declines in elementary and middle grades over recent years, a trend that has accelerated school consolidations across Brooklyn. These shifts are part of the environment families navigate when choosing a school in the district.
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