Bronx Science Scholars
Frequently asked questions
Admissions, what scholars are expected to do at each grade band, and how the Amplify Science curriculum is adapted to IEP mandates.
How do families apply to Bronx Excellence Charter Schools?
Applications are free and open to any child living in New York City, with enrollment preference for Bronx families and siblings of current scholars. Families apply through the Excellence Community Schools common application; if there are more applicants than seats, a public random lottery decides placement and a waitlist is kept for the year. Use the contact form on this site and the partnership team will send the current application window, tour dates and lottery timeline.
Which grades are served, and is there a cost?
Bronx Excellence serves grades K through 8 across its schools. As public charter schools, there is no tuition, and the science partnership programming — labs, media production and the VR/AR lab catalog — is included for enrolled scholars.
What are grade-level expectations in the elementary grades (K–5)?
K–2 scholars build the habit of wonder: they notice phenomena, describe them in words and drawings, and start asking testable questions. Grades 3–5 move to investigation and modeling — scholars plan simple fair tests, collect and organize data, build models, and explain cause and effect using evidence. Every scholar leaves grade 5 able to state a claim, support it with data and answer a question about it.
What are grade-level expectations in the middle grades (6–8)?
Grades 6–8 run the full Amplify Science arc: scholars take on a role (engineer, geologist, physician-scientist), read and interrogate sources, run simulations and hands-on investigations, then argue from evidence in writing and out loud. By grade 8 scholars can design an investigation, analyze the data they generated, and defend their conclusion in a public showcase.
How does the Amplify curriculum connect to a scholar's IEP mandates?
Every Amplify unit on this site is mapped to labs that can run in multiple formats — VR, AR, 3D model, simulation or hands-on. That range is the accommodation engine: a scholar with a reading mandate can enter the same phenomenon through a 3D model and narrated simulation, a scholar with a sensory profile can use the desktop AR overlay instead of a headset, and a scholar with extended-time or small-group mandates gets the same unit paced across more sessions.
How do I get labs personalized to my child's IEP?
Families and case managers upload the IEP at cindybot.shop, which returns lab recommendations aligned to the mandates. Scholars then return to this site and open the recommended labs in the catalog. No IEP document or health record is stored on this website.
How is student privacy protected?
The partnership follows FERPA for education records, HIPAA-aligned handling for any health information shared with related-service providers, and COPPA for scholars under 13. This site stores only what a family or staff member submits through its own forms and portal. Once data is retrieved or downloaded, the person retrieving it is responsible for securing it and for continued compliance.
Do scholars need a VR headset at home?
No. Every immersive lab has a desktop or tablet path — AR overlays, 3D models and simulations run in a browser. Headsets are used in school where available, never as a requirement for participation or grading.
Still deciding?
Tour a school, meet the science team, and see an Amplify unit run end to end.