District 8 includes a diverse range of 62 schools and is describe by the Department of Education as “racially mixed district,” with a western edge that “includes some of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, such as Hunts Point, while the eastern and northern edge include more suburban settings.”
Last year there were 31,240 students in the district, which also includes Throggs Neck, Pelham Bay, Castle Hill and Soundview.
The district is home to Lehman High School, which faced possible closure for the past few school years until it was saved last spring.
Lehman will still be significantly but gradually downsized, with enrollment dropping to 1,000 student by the 2016-17 school year. Three new smaller schools will be phased into the building.
Also of note over the 2012-13 school year was the dramatic improvement at P.S. 14, which saw its school grades rise to an A on the 2011-12 academic yearly progress report (the latest year available), up from a D the previous year. Community and civic leaders hailed the change as a turnaround.
Based on the 2011-12 School Progress Reports, P.S. 69 on Theriot Avenue scored highest in the district with an overall score of 85.4 and an A report grade.
Bronx Mathematics Preparatory School came in lowest with a 19.7 overall score and a F report grade.
The 2011-12 available progress reports for District 8 schools show eight schools with A’s, 17 with B’s, 20 with C’s, five with D’s, and 2 with F’s.
