Brilla Veritas Charter School, Bronx NY

Original Research by School Decision on Brilla Veritas Charter School

Brilla Veritas Charter School is a classical, content-driven K-6 elementary school in Mott Haven in the South Bronx, serving almost entirely students from low-income households. The school operates as a charter and partners its own middle school, which opened in fall 2022 serving grade 5 and growing one grade per year, so families can now stay within the Brilla system through grade 8 rather than transitioning elsewhere at the middle school boundary.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black population and very small populations of other races. A very high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the neighborhood. The enrollment is small to mid-sized for an elementary school, distributed fairly evenly across grades K through 6.

In state math testing, the school shows a striking grade-level pattern. Third through fifth graders score around the mid-to-upper range for their grades: third grade proficiency sits just above the midpoint, fourth grade climbs higher, and fifth grade dips slightly. Sixth grade math proficiency drops notably, falling to about one-third of students meeting the standard. The pattern shifts dramatically at seventh grade, where over four-fifths of students meet the math standard, scoring well above earlier grades. This sharp seventh-grade jump suggests the middle school cohort may be performing differently or the school's transition to middle school instruction is having a marked effect.

English language arts results are more consistently strong across grades. Third grade ELA proficiency is in the lower-to-mid range, but fourth grade climbs steeply to nearly eight-tenths of students meeting the standard. Fifth and sixth grade proficiency hold above the midpoint, and seventh grade ELA reaches its highest point, with over four-fifths meeting the standard. The ELA trajectory differs from math's valley in sixth grade, suggesting math may warrant closer attention at that transition point.

Fifth grade science proficiency sits well below the midpoint, at approximately one-third of students. Science testing data are limited to fifth grade only, so grade-level trends are not visible.

Across tested subjects and grades, Brilla's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the county's districts, a solid position despite the mixed grade-level results and the very high poverty level of its student population.

The school uses a classically inspired, content-rich curriculum pairing Core Knowledge in grades K-4 with the Wit and Wisdom reading and writing program in grades 5-8, a shift the school made in recent years as part of a broader literacy and math pedagogy revision. Participation rates in state testing are consistently high, generally in the high 90s, indicating strong test attendance.

Staffing details, special education enrollment, English learner counts, attendance, and discipline data were not available. Information about after-school or enrichment programs, specific support services, or school climate was also not provided. A parent evaluating this school may want to inquire directly about sixth-grade math performance, the middle school's academic focus and transition support, services for students with disabilities or English learners, and how the school supports students working below proficiency in the early grades, where a substantial share of students are not yet meeting the standard.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 355%

School 55% · district not reported

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

Grade 460%

School 60% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 634%

School 34% · district not reported

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 782%

School 82% · district not reported

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · district not reported

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

Grade 478%

School 78% · district not reported

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

Grade 568%

School 68% · district not reported

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

Grade 654%

School 54% · district not reported

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

Grade 783%

School 83% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 537%

School 37% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 6 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 4Lower-income77%Higher-income88%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income82%Higher-income100%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income56%Higher-income40%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income60%Higher-income56%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income82%Higher-income83%2 pp gap