The top reported proficiency rate is 92% in Math. The lowest is 74% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on East Flatbush Ascend Charter School (efacs)
East Flatbush Ascend Charter School (EFACS) is a small elementary school in Brooklyn serving children from kindergarten through fourth grade, with a student body drawn almost entirely from the immediate neighborhood. The school sits in a densely residential area of central Brooklyn where the median home value is substantially above the state average, and the rental market is comparably tight. Brooklyn as a whole is in a sustained growth phase with major new residential development ongoing, particularly in neighboring downtown areas.
The school's enrollment is small, with roughly equal numbers in each grade through third grade and a smaller cohort in fourth. The population is predominantly Black, with small representation of Hispanic, white, American Indian/Alaska Native, and multiracial students. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a family population with very low household incomes despite the neighborhood's high housing costs. Data on special education enrollment and English learner populations were not provided.
On state testing, EFACS math proficiency is notably strong across third and fourth grades. Writing proficiency puts the school well above the state's mid-range performance. English language arts shows a different pattern: third-grade ELA proficiency is solid, but fourth-grade ELA proficiency drops noticeably lower, suggesting a possible gap in reading skill development in that grade or a shift in what students encounter at that level. Overall, the school's proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile among schools in Kings County, which includes some much larger and more established districts.
The school is part of the Ascend Public Charter Schools network, a Brooklyn-based operator that overhauled its approach to literacy and mathematics instruction beginning in the 2023-24 school year. That shift involved adopting the Science of Reading framework for early literacy instruction alongside new math curricula. The changes were funded by a substantial philanthropic grant and include new classroom libraries. Since EFACS serves kindergarten through fourth grade, families can expect that early reading instruction follows the phonics and sound-based approach that characterizes Science of Reading, while students in upper grades experience the newer math program. This represents a deliberate pedagogical direction for the school; the durability of these changes rests on Ascend's commitment and funding rather than a single year's initiative.
In recent years, EFACS has climbed sharply in rankings relative to other New York elementary schools, moving into the top quartile statewide and consistently outperforming both citywide and state averages in ELA and math. This upward trajectory reflects the broader improvements the network has undertaken.
A parent may want to look into the fourth-grade ELA performance further with the school to understand whether that dip reflects a specific curricular transition, data variance in a small cohort, or an area the school is actively working to strengthen. The gap between third and fourth grade in reading warrants a direct conversation about how the school supports students making that transition and what the instructional focus looks like in that grade.
The housing market around the school is expensive, and the student population is almost entirely low-income by the lunch-subsidy measure, a pattern common in gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhoods. Family income and neighborhood context may not align on the surface. The school draws from a defined catchment rather than selectivity, so enrollment reflects the local residential population. Prospective families should consider that this is a young charter school without the infrastructure history of a traditional public school, though it sits within an established and growing charter network.
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