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Explore Charter School

Q: Is Explore Charter School a good school?

Explore Charter School ranks 835 th of 2445 New York elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

835^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,445 New York Elementary Schools

Better than 66% of New York elementary schools

Summary

Explore Charter School is a public charter elementary school serving 523 students in grades K-8 in Brooklyn, New York. The school is part of the Explore Charter School District, which is ranked 242 out of 874 districts in New York and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Explore Charter School consistently outperforms the state average in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 5th grade ELA proficiency rate was 79.45% compared to the state average of 56.61%. The school's performance is particularly strong in Math, with 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 8th grade proficiency rates exceeding 70% in 2024-2025, significantly higher than the state averages. Explore Charter School also performs well on Regents exams, with 96.3% of students proficient in Algebra I and 54.93% proficient in Living Environment Biology in 2024-2025.

Explore Charter School excels in serving specific student subgroups, ranking in the top 25% of New York elementary schools for African American, English Language Learner, and Homeless students. The school's performance for Special Education and Low Socioeconomic Status students is also strong, ranking in the top 35% of New York elementary schools in these categories. Explore Charter School significantly outperforms the nearby traditional public schools, such as PS 399 Stanley Eugene Clarke, Norma Adams Clemons Academy, and PS 235 Janice Marie Knight School, which all have lower academic proficiency rates and lower statewide rankings.

574

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,299

Per pupil spending ?

82.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

655 Parkside Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11226

(718) 703-4484

District: Explore Charter School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

73.2%

Hispanic:

20.4%

White:

1.9%

See top rated New York elementary schools

Compare Explore Charter School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 75th percentile in 2024 → 66th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New York average (65% vs 54% meeting standards)

✓Above the New York median (66th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 75th-percentile peak (2024) to 66th (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school65%

New York avg54%

Elementary school

835^th of 2,445

New York public elementary schools ?

Top 34%▲ up 39 pts since 2015

From bottom 27% (2015) to top 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New York Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

331^st of 1,500

New York public middle schools ?

Top 22%▲ up 46 pts since 2015

From bottom 32% (2015) to top 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New York Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

242^nd of 874Explore Charter School among New York districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	64.6	835 of 2445	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.1	611 of 2445	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	71.9	634 of 2439	74.0%	★★★★☆
2022	69.0	689 of 2434	71.7%	★★★★☆
2021	44.0	1249 of 2201	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.0	1039 of 2413	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.0	1478 of 2395	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	19.1	2029 of 2386	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	33.2	1647 of 2366	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	30.1	1710 of 2352	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	63.4	811 of 2345	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	50.1	1115 of 2325	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.2	839 of 2320	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	37.7	1568 of 2286	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	40.9	1518 of 2263	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	69.7	726 of 2257	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	34.3	1661 of 2219	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	79.8	141 of 928	84.8%	★★★★☆
2024	82.6	111 of 927	88.0%	★★★★☆
2023	83.9	97 of 857	88.7%	★★★★☆
2022	83.4	107 of 936	88.6%	★★★★☆
2019	72.5	192 of 891	78.5%	★★★★☆
2018	60.3	301 of 948	68.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	69.8	174 of 1117	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	84.7	55 of 1066	94.8%	★★★★★
2022	84.9	74 of 1027	92.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	63.3	817 of 2409	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.2	661 of 2413	72.6%	★★★★☆
2023	73.7	559 of 2403	76.7%	★★★★☆
2022	75.6	491 of 2401	79.6%	★★★★☆
2019	65.9	749 of 2357	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.5	1326 of 2338	43.3%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	62.1	214 of 792	73.0%	★★★★☆
2024	68.6	146 of 766	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	71.5	122 of 637	80.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	74.7	397 of 2098	81.1%	★★★★☆
2024	81.1	251 of 2078	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	81.1	272 of 2041	86.7%	★★★★☆
2022	77.7	311 of 2099	85.2%	★★★★☆
2019	65.9	535 of 2032	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	51.4	883 of 2045	56.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	63.3	833 of 2407	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.7	548 of 2411	77.3%	★★★★☆
2023	65.7	760 of 2400	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.0	993 of 2400	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.8	1348 of 2358	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.3	1553 of 2340	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	54.5	740 of 2134	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.7	392 of 2110	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	77.7	250 of 2016	87.6%	★★★★☆
2022	73.3	297 of 2031	85.4%	★★★★☆
2019	57.0	518 of 1859	72.1%	★★★★☆
2018	44.6	907 of 1941	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	74.0	331 of 1500	77.9%	★★★★☆
2024	82.2	211 of 1504	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	73.1	341 of 1500	77.3%	★★★★☆
2022	63.4	463 of 1479	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.1	556 of 1242	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.7	375 of 1439	73.9%	★★★★☆
2018	68.6	393 of 1438	72.7%	★★★★☆
2017	42.9	819 of 1455	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.7	789 of 1429	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.3	953 of 1407	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	52.6	595 of 1401	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	53.9	601 of 1373	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.4	485 of 1337	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	61.7	551 of 1295	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.8	510 of 1243	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	70.8	420 of 1224	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	34.0	818 of 1123	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	83.4	78 of 676	88.5%	★★★★☆
2024	90.1	46 of 705	93.5%	★★★★★
2023	81.1	84 of 696	87.9%	★★★★☆
2022	78.1	95 of 706	86.5%	★★★★☆
2019	79.7	101 of 653	84.5%	★★★★☆
2018	81.9	92 of 663	86.1%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	70.1	83 of 646	87.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	71.4	360 of 1457	75.3%	★★★★☆
2024	85.9	161 of 1465	89.0%	★★★★☆
2023	78.0	259 of 1463	82.3%	★★★★☆
2022	69.1	359 of 1454	75.3%	★★★★☆
2021	50.3	488 of 1066	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	79.7	231 of 1370	83.1%	★★★★☆
2018	70.7	366 of 1353	72.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2018	65.6	221 of 810	72.7%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	66.7	136 of 603	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	97.6	11 of 543	98.0%	★★★★★
2022	87.6	30 of 487	93.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	82.2	164 of 1283	87.2%	★★★★☆
2024	89.5	92 of 1296	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	82.4	160 of 1288	87.6%	★★★★☆
2022	74.0	232 of 1306	82.2%	★★★★☆
2019	81.6	167 of 1241	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	78.7	187 of 1245	85.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	73.2	322 of 1455	77.9%	★★★★☆
2024	73.6	298 of 1464	79.6%	★★★★☆
2023	65.1	427 of 1464	70.8%	★★★★☆
2022	53.5	592 of 1455	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.2	746 of 1071	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.3	443 of 1366	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.8	395 of 1352	70.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	68.1	249 of 1298	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	85.3	98 of 1303	92.5%	★★★★★
2023	69.6	244 of 1307	81.3%	★★★★☆
2022	74.9	155 of 1283	87.9%	★★★★☆
2019	45.2	501 of 1139	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.3	161 of 1170	86.2%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

African American (2025)85th percentile+19 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)84th percentile+19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)81st percentile+15 vs school

Homeless (2025)73rd percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)66th percentile~ school

Male (2025)65th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)65th percentile~ school

Middle school

African American (2025)88th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)87th percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)87th percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2025)81st percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)78th percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)77th percentile~ school

Female (2025)75th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2018)73rd percentile~ school

By subject vs New York (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I96%+40 vs state

Math70%+15 vs state

English Language Arts63%+10 vs state

Life Science Biology55%-3 vs state

Science41%-4 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, March 5, 2009

My grandson has been enrolled in Explore Charter Scool since kindergarden, and that was the first year that they opened on Jay Street. In 2010, his class will be the first class to graduate that spent all nine years at Explore. J.C. has made life long freinds not only with students, but with teachers also. He has excelled in all state testing, and I feel he will be well prepared for high school. Explore employs a counselor to help students and parents decide which high school would be best for them. The longer day at Explore, 7:50AM to 4:00PM, plus the longer school year helps keep information fresh in the students minds. Over the years, he has been accepted to several other charter schools and also public schools for the gifted and talented. We chose for him to remain at Explore, even though it is far from where we live. The staff is excellent and very committed to the students. They have many activities and clubs for the students. Recently, they sponsered a sleep over at the school call "Book Up and College Bound" as a reward for the students. The students have traveled to sister schools in Louisiana abnd they have even traveled to Costa Rica. Every year the upper grades go on an end of the year trip to places like Boston, and Washington DC. Close Quote

Schools Near Explore Charter School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Regents Algebra I (2025)	Regents Life Science Biology (2025)	NY State Assessments English Language Arts (2025)						NY State Assessments Math (2025)						NY State Assessments Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Regents Algebra I End of Course	Regents Life Science Biology End of Course	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 3rd Grade	NY State Assessments Math 4th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 5th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 6th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 7th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Science 5th Grade	NY State Assessments Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Explore Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	655 Parkside Ave	Brooklyn	11226	Kings County	Explore Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(718) 703-4484	574	40	14.5	82.1%	11 (1.9%)	420 (73.2%)	117 (20.4%)	6 (1.0%)	7 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	11 (1.9%)	64.6	835^th of 2445 public elementary schools	65.8%		71.1	611^th of 2445 public elementary schools	75.0%	224	96.3	54.9	50.9	58.7	79.5	51.4	63.9	72.9	75.0	82.5	63.0	57.1	69.4	72.9	41.1		$20,299	$20,299	$00
Ps 92 Adrian Hegeman	Public	PK, KG-5	601 Parkside Ave	Brooklyn	11226	Kings County	New York City Geographic District #17	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 462-2087	251	27	9.2	91.6%	23 (9.2%)	165 (65.7%)	42 (16.7%)	6 (2.4%)	8 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.8%)	51.1	1183^rd of 2445 public elementary schools	51.6%		18.9	2095^th of 2445 public elementary schools	14.3%	912			61.9	62.5	55.3				58.1	75.0	51.3				30.8		$42,020	$4,889	$37,131
Flatbush Ascend Charter School	Public, Charter	K-6	123 Linden Blvd	Brooklyn	11203	Kings County	Flatbush Ascend Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(646) 644-1714	404	24	16.8	87.6%	14 (3.5%)	326 (80.7%)	43 (10.6%)	2 (0.5%)	7 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (2.7%)	76.4	517^th of 2445 public elementary schools	78.9%		54.8	1035^th of 2445 public elementary schools	57.7%	518			72.5	89.3	60.0	67.8			88.4	93.1	60.0	84.3			51.8		$18,753	$2,364	$16,389
Ps 397 Foster-Laurie	Public	PK, KG-5	490 Fenimore St	Brooklyn	11203	Kings County	New York City Geographic District #17	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 774-5200	180	16	10.9	83.9%	10 (5.6%)	125 (69.4%)	33 (18.3%)	8 (4.4%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	70.5	680^th of 2445 public elementary schools	72.2%		76.5	503^rd of 2445 public elementary schools	79.4%	177			74.2	83.3	70.6				68.8	88.9	55.6				29.4		$35,751	$2,596	$33,156
Ps 399 Stanley Eugene Clarke	Public	K-5	2707 Albermarle Rd	Brooklyn	11226	Kings County	New York City Geographic District #17	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 693-3023	157	18	8.9	100.0%	3 (1.9%)	101 (64.3%)	48 (30.6%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.9%)	11.7	2272^nd of 2445 public elementary schools	7.1%		13.7	2251^st of 2445 public elementary schools	7.9%	21			17.7	24.0	47.4				27.8	32.0	25.0				19.2		$46,131	$3,980	$42,151
Norma Adams Clemons Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	43 Snyder Ave	Brooklyn	11226	Kings County	New York City Geographic District #17	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 856-6560	588	45	13.0	91.8%	20 (3.4%)	366 (62.2%)	177 (30.1%)	15 (2.6%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	26.5	1878^th of 2445 public elementary schools	23.2%		21	2034^th of 2445 public elementary schools	16.8%	156			62.0	32.8	46.6				41.2	30.7	41.4				18.6		$33,918	$3,045	$30,873
Ps 235 Janice Marie Knight School	Public	PK, KG-5	525 Lenox Rd	Brooklyn	11203	Kings County	New York City Geographic District #18	No	No	No	No	(718) 773-4869	666	43	15.6	81.2%	14 (2.1%)	559 (83.9%)	39 (5.9%)	24 (3.6%)	10 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (2.9%)	61.9	896^th of 2445 public elementary schools	63.4%		56.9	976^th of 2445 public elementary schools	60.1%	80			80.8	50.0	69.2				80.0	52.0	62.2				46.2		$30,747	$2,990	$27,757
Success Academy Charter School-Flatbush	Public, Charter	K-4	15 Snyder Ave	Brooklyn	11226	Kings County	Success Academy Charter School-Flatbush	Yes	No	No	Yes	(646) 790-2150	598			81.9%	17 (2.8%)	476 (79.6%)	54 (9.0%)	9 (1.5%)	5 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	34 (5.7%)	93	132^nd of 2445 public elementary schools	94.6%		89.8	206^th of 2445 public elementary schools	91.6%	74			86.4	81.0					98.1	88.8							$16,769	$00	$16,769
Ps 181	Public	PK, KG-8	1023 New York Ave	Brooklyn	11203	Kings County	New York City Geographic District #17	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 462-5298	568	50	11.3	85.6%	14 (2.5%)	433 (76.2%)	81 (14.3%)	7 (1.2%)	26 (4.6%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.7%)	22.8	1997^th of 2445 public elementary schools	18.3%		21.3	2027^th of 2445 public elementary schools	17.1%	30	100.0		30.9	33.3	37.8	38.3	34.8	37.3	45.6	48.1	18.8	52.2	53.2	64.8	18.8	45.3	$35,375	$3,258	$32,116
Ps 161 Crown (The)	Public	PK, KG-5	330 Crown St	Brooklyn	11225	Kings County	New York City Geographic District #17	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 756-3100	271	23	11.7	94.5%	11 (4.1%)	188 (69.4%)	54 (19.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	14 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	44	1363^rd of 2445 public elementary schools	44.3%		35.2	1587^th of 2445 public elementary schools	35.1%	224			69.7	55.3	44.2				69.7	68.4	34.6				31.4		$43,458	$4,920	$38,538

Frequently Asked Questions about Explore Charter School

What is the racial makeup of Explore Charter School?

Students at Explore Charter School are 73% African American, 20% Hispanic, 2% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% American Indian, 1% Asian.

Is Explore Charter School a good school?

Explore Charter School ranks 835^th of 2445 New York elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Explore Charter School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 574 students attended Explore Charter School.

What district is Explore Charter School in?

Explore Charter School

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the WNYC and the New York State Department of Health and the NY State Education Department.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.