Brooklyn Dreams Charter School, Brooklyn NY

Original Research by School Decision on Brooklyn Dreams Charter School

Brooklyn Dreams Charter School is a tuition-free public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Brooklyn, with an enrollment of about five hundred thirty students. The school operates under SUNY authorization and underwent charter renewal in 2022, securing its status to continue operations.

The school sits in a neighborhood with moderate to strong housing values and rents typical of central Brooklyn. The area is highly walkable with dense transit access and proximity to neighborhood retail and services. Brooklyn itself is experiencing substantial growth in residential construction, particularly in mixed-use developments, making the borough an active housing market for families.

Academically, Brooklyn Dreams shows uneven performance across tested grades and subjects. In English language arts, the school demonstrates stronger results in grades four, five, seven, and eight, where a solid majority of students meet or exceed state proficiency benchmarks. Mathematics performance is weaker and less consistent, with proficiency rates below half of tested students in most elementary and middle grades, though grade seven shows notably higher attainment. Science results are moderate, with roughly two-fifths of fifth graders and just under half of eighth graders meeting proficiency in the most recent state testing. When measured against all school districts in Kings County, Brooklyn Dreams' overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint, a position worth noting if you are evaluating the school's academic standing relative to nearby options.

The school's enrollment composition includes a substantial majority of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, more than seven in ten students. The student body is predominantly Black, with meaningful Hispanic representation and smaller Asian, white, and multiracial populations. Data on the school's special education enrollment and English learner populations were not available.

In curriculum, Brooklyn Dreams uses a structured literacy approach to English language arts developed by its network operator, and incorporates Illustrative Math in middle grades, both aligned to state learning standards. This reflects a deliberate instructional framework rather than a default one.

A parent considering the school should be aware that enrollment has declined notably over recent years. This enrollment trend can affect class sizes, the breadth of program offerings, and the school's financial stability, all practical factors worth exploring further with the school. The school does not serve high school grades, so families with middle school students will eventually need to transition elsewhere. State testing data was available for tested grades, but data on chronic absenteeism and other outcome measures were not provided, so a full picture of school environment and student engagement would benefit from direct conversation with the school.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

3 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
Ela	24	88.0%
Math	24	29.0%
Science	24	79.0%

Math

Grade 334%

School 34% · district not reported

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

Grade 445%

School 45% · district not reported

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · district not reported

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

Grade 629%

School 29% · district not reported

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

Grade 763%

School 63% · district not reported

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

Grade 836%

School 36% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 461%

School 61% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 572%

School 72% · district not reported

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

Grade 657%

School 57% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 772%

School 72% · district not reported

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 862%

School 62% · district not reported

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 846%

School 46% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 21 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-income31%Higher-income60%29 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income60%Higher-income63%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income68%Higher-income100%32 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income45%Higher-income85%39 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income73%Higher-income71%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income55%Higher-income83%29 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income28%Higher-income55%26 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income47%Higher-income38%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income50%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income19%Higher-income54%35 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income63%Higher-income62%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income27%Higher-income58%31 pp gap