Mott Hall Charter School, Bronx NY

Original Research by School Decision on Mott Hall Charter School

Mott Hall Charter School is a grades 6 through 8 school located in the South Bronx that has anchored its instructional identity around the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. The school serves a densely low-income student population, with most qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and a racial composition split roughly between Black and Hispanic students. Enrollment hovers at roughly mid-sized range for a charter middle school, distributed across the three middle grades.

Academic performance on state math and English language arts assessments shows mixed results across the grades. In math, proficiency rates range from the low to mid-range, with sixth grade slightly below, seventh grade above, and eighth grade roughly in the middle of that band. English language arts proficiency sits lower, ranging from below the sixth-grade math rate through mid-range territory in the upper grades. Eighth grade science proficiency is notably lower than both English and math. Performance varies somewhat by grade level; the school does not show a clear upward or downward trajectory across grades 6 to 8. Participation rates on state assessments are generally solid, with most grades in the range of mid-60s to high 70s. When positioned against other Bronx County districts, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, a meaningful strength in its local landscape.

The school's programmatic structure centers on inquiry-based, globally minded learning anchored in IB principles. Students complete required coursework in foreign language and arts alongside core academics. The eighth grade offers Regents-level math and science, creating an accelerated pathway for students ready for that level. Classroom instruction integrates AVID College and Career Readiness framing from grade 6 onward, signaling an early focus on post-secondary planning. Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, the school added a self-contained classroom designed for students with mandated IEPs, expanding the school's capacity to serve children with identified disabilities through more intensive support.

The school's charter has undergone short renewal cycles in recent years, with a two-year renewal recommended most recently after its third charter term. Authorizers typically recommend short renewals when they have concerns requiring closer monitoring, a signal worth understanding if you are considering a three-year commitment to the school. The school itself notes it was the second charter in the Bronx to offer self-contained special education at the 12:1:1 ratio, and remains the home-based school for students throughout the South Bronx who choose it.

The neighborhood that Mott Hall serves, in the Franklin Avenue area of the South Bronx, sits within a borough undergoing active housing growth. The Bronx has attracted a substantial share of new affordable housing development citywide in recent years, with major projects in waterfront and transit-adjacent areas reshaping the housing stock. Housing values in the area remain below state and national benchmarks, though they have appreciated. Commercial life in the South Bronx organizes around transit hubs and mixed-use corridors; the school is accessible by subway. Parents and residents should ask the school directly about recent proficiency trends, the experience of students in the new special education program, and how eighth graders transition to high school given the school's middle-only focus.

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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
Science	10	70.0%
Math	8	88.0%

Math

Grade 653%

School 53% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 762%

School 62% · district not reported

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 855%

School 55% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 638%

School 38% · district not reported

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 750%

School 50% · district not reported

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 852%

School 52% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Science

Grade 837%

School 37% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 9 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 7Lower-income46%Higher-income80%35 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income59%Higher-income80%21 pp gap