Bronx Arts Expands Opportunity And Opens Second School In South Bronx

Bronx Charter School for the Arts' students, staff, families and supporters have a lot to be excited about heading back-to-school. On Thursday, Aug. 30, educators, national leaders from the Arts community, elected officials, families and students will join the ribbon-cutting celebration as Bronx Arts opens a middle school for 6th-8th grade students. The middle school is located in the Soundview section of the Bronx, less than half a mile from the Bronx Arts Elementary School, the leading elementary school in the community. School administrators say the lottery selection process for the middle school attracted more than 280 interested rising 6th grade students and families and filled 75 available seats. The school will add additional 6th grade classes annually, reaching capacity in the 2020-2021 school year.

Joining the festivities are special guests Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO, Ballet Hispánico, and Todd Stoll, Vice President of Education, Jazz at Lincoln Center (on behalf of world renowned jazz musician Wynton Marsalis) to address the inaugural 6th grade class.

Every Bronx Arts classroom is named for a professional artist or artistic luminary - representative of the student body - who has made a lasting impact in the field and serves as an inspiration for future leaders and artists from the Bronx. Celebrated luminaries include Savion Glover, Lorraine Hansberry, Wynton Marsalis, Rita Moreno, Amy Sherald and Eduardo Vilaro.

"What we are doing at Bronx Arts is truly different than any other school," said Miriam Raccah, Executive Director of Bronx Arts and a 15-year veteran leader of high-performing charter schools. "We are thrilled to expand our successful model, add high-quality middle schools in the South Bronx and deliver a world-class education and arts curriculum to the students in the South Bronx."

Raccah says that being in New York City - the cultural capital of the world - it not only makes sense to prioritize offer a rigorous arts curriculum, she credits the approach as a critical component to students achieving academic excellence. Bronx Arts students far out-perform district, city and state peers on standardized tests, last year scoring twice as high in Math and three times higher in English Language Arts as their peers. Popular among students, families, community members and educators alike, the school also was chosen as an "Editor's Pick" by staff members at Insideschools.org.

Bronx Arts Middle School received approval from the New York State Education Department and crucial early support from Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca, Jr., Senator Jeff Klein, the Charter School Growth Fund and The Walton Family Foundation.

Bronx Arts Middle School officially opens its doors to students on August 27, 2018.

"We look forward to providing a safe, welcoming environment that nurtures creativity, academic progress and confidence," said Raccah. "Bronx Arts will prepare and inspire students to succeed academically, gain admission to the high school of their choice, and realize their personal, academic and creative ambitions."

Founded in 2002, Bronx Charter Schools for the Arts are public charter schools guided by the principle that a rich and vibrant background in the arts is a key component of achieving academic excellence. Bronx Arts began enrolling students in 2005, has educated more than 3,000 school students, and will enroll 435 students from kindergarten through 6th grade in 2018-2019. Bronx Arts has been named a Reward School-an honor earned by less than 1% of public schools-by the New York State Department of Education and was nationally recognized by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a School of Distinction, a prestigious award for arts education.