South Bronx Classical Charter School II

Opened in 2013, South Bronx Classical II (SBC II) is part of small network of a high-performing charter schools. It is modelled after the original South Bronx Classical Charter, which was founded in 2004 by Lester Long, a former investment banker and elementary school teacher. The school is expanding by one grade a year until it reaches capacity serving grades K to 8.

Like all the schools in the network, SBC II’s school day and school year run longer than in traditional public schools. Class sizes are kept small with 20 students or less. Latin instruction begins in 3rd grade; debate classes start in 5th grade. There’s a heavy emphasis on learning facts and honing skills and by the time students are in middle school, they’re tackling challenging work.

Children wear uniforms and must adhere to a strict behavior code. The upside is that little time is wasted in transitions between lessons; the drawback is that the school has a high suspension rate that is well above the citywide average. During our visit to the original South Bronx Classical school, we observed that when listening to the teacher, children were expected to sit up straight with hands folded on the desk; a student may be admonished for behavior such as eye-rolling or that’s interpreted to be whining or talking back.

Students may participate in activities such as basketball, music and art, according to the school’s website.

SBC II shares a building with PS 154 Jonathan D Hyatt.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: Special education teachers, learning specialists and speech pathologists work with children individually and in small groups.

ADMISSIONS: A lottery is held in April. Priority is given to District 7 residents. (Laura Zingmond, web reports, January 2020; photo from school website)