Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School, Brooklyn NY

Original Research by School Decision on Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School

Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School serves kindergarten through eighth grade on Lewis Avenue in central Brooklyn, with a strong academic profile centered on literacy and mathematics. The school is part of a larger K-12 system after recent expansion; a ninth-grade program launched at a separate Williamsburg campus and will add one grade per year toward 12th grade. This structure allows families to stay within the charter network rather than transition at eighth grade, though it means upper-grade students move to a different physical location.

The school's state test results show solid proficiency across elementary and middle grades. In math, proficiency is high in third and fourth grades and remains strong through sixth grade, dipping slightly in seventh. English language arts proficiency follows a similar pattern: very strong in third and fourth grades, sustained through sixth, then declining noticeably by eighth grade, where proficiency falls into the low-to-mid range. Science results are limited to fifth grade, which shows proficiency above the median range seen elsewhere. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to other schools in Kings County. Participation rates are consistently high across grades and subjects, suggesting strong test-taking engagement. The pattern across grades suggests stronger outcomes in the primary and intermediate bands than in early middle school.

Enrollment is small to moderate at around seven hundred students spread across nine grades, with relatively even distribution. The student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, at roughly equal proportions each. An extremely high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the school's location in a neighborhood with substantial economic need. Data on English learner and special education enrollment was not available.

The school operates as a charter and is independently authorized by the New York State Board of Regents. In 2024 it completed a merger with a SUNY-authorized sister charter and restructured under a co-leadership model, affecting governance and authorizer oversight. This organizational change is recent and may be relevant to parents evaluating the school's stability and decision-making structure.

Brooklyn itself is a dense urban borough with high walkability, active street life, and strong transit connectivity. The Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood where the school sits is well-served by subway lines and features active retail and community anchors. Housing values in the zip code have risen substantially in recent years, and rents remain elevated, reflecting Brooklyn's role as a major residential and commercial center. Major employers include healthcare systems, higher education institutions, and a growing tech sector. Prospect Park and an extensive public library system shape civic life.

The school offers music as an arts program; the school website may detail other offerings. A parent or resident considering the school should expect an academically focused charter in a walkable, transit-rich neighborhood with a predominantly low-income, students-of-color enrollment, and may want to look further into the recent merger and governance changes to understand the school's operational direction and how high school expansion will function for their family.

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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	125	59.0%
Science	88	51.0%

Math

Grade 398%

School 98% · district not reported

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

Grade 492%

School 92% · district not reported

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 590%

School 90% · district not reported

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

Grade 694%

School 94% · district not reported

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

Grade 788%

School 88% · district not reported

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 396%

School 96% · district not reported

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

Grade 490%

School 90% · district not reported

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 589%

School 89% · district not reported

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

Grade 682%

School 82% · district not reported

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 782%

School 82% · district not reported

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 874%

School 74% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 594%

School 94% · district not reported

▲ 52 pts above state median · ▲ 54 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below 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.