Riverdale / Kingsbridge Academy (Middle School / High School 141) (RKA)

Riverdale-Kingsbridge Academy (RKA), serving grades 6 to 12, is a well-regarded neighborhood school. Nearly all students live in the surrounding community and most stay through high school. Students enjoy traditions such as homecoming pep rallies, field days and dances as well as a nice array of activities.

RKAs middle school has an honors track for high achievers and a strong arts program. Sixth-graders take a different arts class each semester, choosing among visual arts, vocal and band. They then choose one to concentrate in for 7th and 8th grade.

The high school offers Spanish and French plus a range of honors and Advanced Placement courses.

Attendance is strong and middle school state test scores exceed the citywide average. By 8th grade, grade roughly half of the students earn high school credit taking courses in algebra and earth science.

The college readiness rate among high school graduates exceeds the citywide average. Roughly half of the high school students take a college-level course.

There are some concerns about discipline, with sixty-one percent of students reporting bullying or intimidation among peers, according to the 2016-17 NYC School Survey.

To promote a more supportive environment, the staff implemented a program that rewards students for positive behavior such as punctuality, respect, independence, determination and enthusiasm, according to the 2016-17 Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP). As a result, suspensions have declined by 50 percent, the CEP says.

RKA ramped up its academic support by increasing the number of teachers available for tutoring outside of regular class time, according to the CEP.

The school fields both middle and high school sports teams and a wide array of free after-school activities run onsite by the Riverdale Community Center (RCC). Students may also participate in a teen theater program run by RCC.

ADMISSIONS: Zoned students only for middle school. For high school, there are typically a few seats available to Bronx students or residents not zoned for the school. High school admissions is based on a review of a students grades, courses taken, state test scores, and record of attendance and punctuality. (Laura Zingmond, web reports, August 2017).