Flatbush Ascend Charter School, Brooklyn NY

Original Research by School Decision on Flatbush Ascend Charter School

Flatbush Ascend is a charter school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in a densely populated central Brooklyn neighborhood, with an enrollment weighted toward economically disadvantaged students. The school sits on Linden Boulevard and is part of the larger Ascend Public Charter network, which now operates a middle school extension on Nostrand Avenue for grades five and six, allowing families to stay within the same network through middle school rather than transferring elsewhere.

The student body is predominantly Black with a smaller share of Hispanic students and a very small representation of other racial and ethnic groups. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a neighborhood with substantial economic need. The school's enrollment is small to mid-sized for its grade band, with each grade carrying roughly forty to sixty-five students. No data was available on special education or English learner populations.

In state testing for math, the school shows a mixed profile across grades. Third and fourth grade students perform above the midpoint when compared to other charter schools in Kings County, with strong proficiency rates in both grades. Fifth grade math proficiency is substantially lower, roughly in the middle of the county distribution. Sixth grade performance recovers to a point above the county median. English Language Arts results follow a similar shape: grades three and four show solid proficiency, grade five drops significantly, and grade six improves but remains below the fourth-grade level. Science is tested only in fifth grade and shows proficiency at about the county median.

Across all tested subjects and grades, Flatbush Ascend's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the county's charter schools, a noteworthy position. The participation rate is strong, with nearly all students taking the assessments. A parent may want to look into the substantial dip in fifth-grade performance in both math and reading, whether that reflects the natural progression to middle-school-level content, specific challenges in that cohort, or instructional factors the school can speak to directly.

The school adopted a new literacy curriculum centered on the Science of Reading approach in the 2023-24 school year, part of a network-wide rollout funded by a major philanthropic grant. This brought a shift to phonics-based instruction alongside comprehension and vocabulary building. The network also introduced revised mathematics curriculum at the same time. These are lasting instructional changes rather than temporary initiatives, so families should understand that reading and math instruction have been deliberately redesigned across the school.

Housing values in the 11203 zip code where the school is located reflect Brooklyn's broader real estate trajectory. Home values have appreciated steadily and rents have risen modestly, tracking with the borough's strong growth in new residential construction and its position as a major employment center for healthcare, education, and technology. The neighborhood is highly walkable with dense street life, frequent retail and dining options, and extensive subway and bus transit. Brooklyn's major parks, including Prospect Park, and the extensive Brooklyn Public Library system are accessible to families in the area.

The school's charter status means it operates independently of the traditional district system while remaining publicly funded and open to all students without entrance exams. No data was available on graduation rate, discipline, attendance, or staffing characteristics, as the school serves only early elementary grades and operates outside the secondary system where those metrics are typically reported.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 388%

School 88% · district not reported

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

Grade 493%

School 93% · district not reported

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

Grade 560%

School 60% · district not reported

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 684%

School 84% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 373%

School 73% · district not reported

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

Grade 489%

School 89% · district not reported

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

Grade 560%

School 60% · district not reported

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

Grade 668%

School 68% · district not reported

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Science

Grade 552%

School 52% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 12 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-income87%Higher-income100%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income59%Higher-income67%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income71%Higher-income53%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income92%Higher-income100%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income57%Higher-income73%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income82%Higher-income93%11 pp gap