East Flatbush Community Research School opened in 2007 as one of two replacement middle schools for IS 232, which closed due to poor performance. Since its founding, however, East Flatbush has been plagued with some of the same problems that faced IS 232. Many 6th graders come in with poor academic skills and East Flatbush has not been able to bring them up to grade level. Test scores lag far behind the city's average, and also behind those of the Middle School of Marketing and Legal Studies which shares the building.  A reviewer from the Department of Education who visited the school in 2012 found that the coursework was not very demanding and there were limited offerings for high-achieving kids. She found that teachers were not adequately tracking students' progress or giving them constructive feedback on how to improve.

Both students and teachers responding to the 2012 Learning Environment Survey reported that students were disrespectful to one another and to their teachers. Half the teachers said that students were bullied and nearly 40 percent of the students said they did not feel safe at school; nearly 50 percent said they felt unsafe outside of the building on school property. Forty percent of the teachers said that discipline and behavior were an issue at the school.

On the plus side, 60 or 90-minute long classes in most subjects limits the amount of movement in the building and allows students to delve deeper into topics. Teachers meets twice a week in grade teams to collaborate on lessons and refine curriculum. Friday are considered "project day" and students participate in activites such as art, basketball, chess, comic book, dance, debate, Double Dutch, poetry, photography, yoga and others.

Founding David Manning envisioned a school where students would tackle serious community issues in addition to their academic classes. He was replaced in 2012 by Daveida Daniel, a graduate of the Leadership Academy which trains new principals. She was formerly an assistant principal in District 16.

Special education: The school offers both self-contained classes and integrated co-teaching classes for the more than 20 percent of the students who have special needs.

After school: There are boys and girls basketball teams.

Admissions: District 18. Limited unscreened with priority going to students who attend the middle school fair or visit the school. (Pamela Wheaton, web reports, September 2012)