Harbor Science and Arts Charter School

About

Harbor Science and Arts Charter School, located in Manhattan's East Harlem, serves students in grades 1-8 as one of New York City's oldest charter schools, established in 2000. The school is known for fostering a warm, safe, and friendly environment, with parents often describing it as a family-like community where everyone knows each other. The principal is noted for personally greeting families daily, contributing to a welcoming atmosphere. The school's mission emphasizes a rigorous academic program that integrates character building, physical wellness, and the arts. While ELA proficiency is near the citywide median, math proficiency is a concern, falling at the 25th percentile compared to other NYC schools. Despite some older concerns about resources and teacher turnover, more recent sentiment highlights strong communication between staff and parents, and a dedicated administration that supports its teachers. The school prides itself on its small, individualized learning community and commitment to parent engagement.

Sources (15)

Academics

State test proficiency rates and acceleration.

ELA proficiency

52%

Math proficiency

41%

Proficiency rates are from the Grade 3–8 NYS state test (school-level).

Attendance rate

—

Avg class size (general ed)

—

Avg class size (ICT)

—

Community & climate

Demographics, attendance, school survey results, and DOE quality ratings.

Quality signals

FacultyExcellentAI-estimated

Parent survey · overall positive

90%19% response rate

Survey topics

Family outreach97%city 94%

School staff regularly communicate with me about how I can help my child learn.93%
Teachers work closely with me to meet my child's needs.93%
My child's school communicates with me in a language that I can understand.100%
I am greeted warmly when I contact or visit the school.100%
My child's school will make me aware if there are any concerns about my child’s social or emotional well-being.100%

Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (97%) is their average, vs 94% citywide.

Parent–teacher trust92%city 95%

I feel respected by my child's teachers.100%
Staff at this school work hard to build trusting relationships with parents/guardians like me.94%
My child's teachers treat me as a partner in educating my child.82%

Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (92%) is their average, vs 95% citywide.

Show all survey topics

Effective School Leadership

Inclusive Leadership94%city 95%

The principal/school leader at this school…puts decisions made with families into action.81%
The principal/school leader at this school…works to create a sense of community in the school.100%
The principal/school leader at this school…ensures families are comfortable communicating with the school.100%

Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (94%) is their average, vs 95% citywide.

Strong Family-Community Ties

Parent Involvement in School68%city 63%

Since the beginning of the school year, how often have you…communicated with your child's teachers about your child's performance?.94%
Since the beginning of the school year, how often have you…seen your child’s projects, artwork, homework, tests, or quizzes?.100%
I know how to contact the Parent Coordinator at my child’s school.11%

Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (68%) is their average, vs 63% citywide.

Trust

Parent-Principal Trust100%city 94%

I feel respected by my child's principal/school leader.100%
I trust the principal/school leader at their word (to do what they say that they will do).100%
The principal/school leader is an effective manager who makes the school run smoothly.100%

Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (100%) is their average, vs 94% citywide.

Overall positive % is averaged across every Pos/Neg survey question per respondent group (school year 2023-2024). Survey topics are the DOE’s framework measures (each the average favorable response across its questions; expand a topic to see them and the citywide average); the dimension scores themselves are no longer in the public data file.^[3]

Operational health

Attendance

—

Chronic absenteeism

67%

Suspension rate

3%

Teachers^[7]

Teachers with 4+ years' experience

50%

Students per teacher

11:1

Teaching out of certification

73%

Teacher experience and certification from the NYSED School Report Card (2024–25); students per teacher = enrollment ÷ reported teachers. Fewer than 4 years counts as inexperienced.

Student body

Race / ethnicity^[4]

Black 36%
Hispanic 63%

School-level totals; may not sum to 100% due to rounding and small subgroup suppression.

Gender^[4]

Female 45%
Male 55%

Female / male shares as published by the DOE; other gender identities aren’t reported in the source data.

Enrollment

240

Economic Need Index

90%

Free / reduced lunch

87%

English learners

38%

Students with IEPs

20%

Location & commute

Where the school is and how to get there.

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