Original Research by School Decision on Math Engineering and Science Academy Charter High School
Math Engineering and Science Academy Charter High School is a mid-sized charter high school in Brooklyn serving grades nine through twelve, located in Bushwick. The school enrolls students across four grade levels, with a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, and a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is distributed fairly evenly across grades, reflecting a stable four-year high school structure.
The school's academic environment centers explicitly on mathematics, engineering, and science pathways. It uses a standards-based grading system rather than traditional weighted-category averaging, meaning students' grades reflect the percentage of standards they master rather than an average across categories. Students can reassess after receiving extra help, with a higher grade replacing an earlier failing grade. This is a distinctive pedagogical choice that shapes how academic progress is measured and reported; a parent would want to understand how this system aligns with how they want their student's progress tracked.
State testing data and graduation rates were not available through the data sources accessed, so the school's performance on those measures cannot be characterized here. The school website and publicly reported materials would be the direct source for understanding how students perform on state assessments and how many graduate on time.
The school is part of a growing multi-campus network. The original Bushwick campus has been joined by a second location in South Brooklyn, which opened in 2025 in the Dyker Heights/Borough Park area, serving a founding ninth-grade class that will grow through the high school grades. A third campus in East New York is set to launch in 2026. This expansion materially increases free, non-selective public high school access for families across Sunset Park, Bensonhurst, Borough Park, and East New York, neighborhoods where parents may have limited options for a dedicated STEM-focused charter school.
Brooklyn itself is a mixed-character borough with dense walkable neighborhoods, active street life, and extensive transit. The housing market is strong and appreciating, reflecting Brooklyn's role as one of New York City's major residential and employment centers. Major employers include hospitals, SUNY Downstate, tech companies concentrated in the Brooklyn Tech Triangle, and city government. The borough has significant new housing production and ongoing residential development, particularly in Downtown Brooklyn and Williamsburg. Families choosing a school in Brooklyn are navigating a high-cost housing market and a transit-rich urban environment where walkability and neighborhood character vary considerably block to block.
Parents considering MESA should look directly to the school's website and recent communications for current information on its academic outcomes, course offerings beyond the core STEM focus, college placement rates, and how the standards-based grading system actually functions in practice. The school's expanding footprint suggests growth and opportunity but also suggests a relatively young network still building its track record across multiple sites.
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