SUCCESS ACADEMY NAMED NATION’S TOP PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL NETWORK

SUCCESS ACADEMY NAMED NATION’S TOP PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL NETWORK

Awarded Prestigious Broad Prize for Best Academic Achievement

Washington, DC — Success Academy has been awarded the prestigious Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools for demonstrating the “best academic outcomes, particularly for low-income students and students of color.” Announced at the National Charter School Conference in Washington, D.C., earlier today, the prize of $250,000 to support college-readiness programs for its students was presented to founder and CEO Eva Moskowitz.

“As a nation, we must do more to close persistent gaps in opportunity and achievement that, too often, separate students of color and students from low-income families from their more advantaged peers. Success Academy has been successful in closing those gaps,” said John B. King, Jr., president and CEO of The Education Trust, former U.S. Secretary of Education, and a member of The Broad Prize review board. “Success Academy is intentional about delivering quality instruction and offering well-rounded, hands-on learning experiences to every child. And these charter schools understand the benefit of a diverse educational community, with children of different socioeconomic status, race, and background all learning together. A commitment to excellence, equity, and diversity has helped Success Academy deliver strong results for students and their families.”

“We are deeply grateful to the Broad Foundation for recognizing our replicable model of high-quality public schools,” said Moskowitz. “This award acknowledges that students in poor inner-city neighborhoods can achieve as well or better as those from the most affluent suburbs. Success Academy scholars offer a proof point: our nation’s education crisis can be solved.”

Enrolling primarily low-income, minority children through a random lottery, Success Academy has consistently ranked at the very top of all New York schools on state exams — in the top 1.5% in English Language Arts and the top  0.3% in math last year. SA scholars outperformed students from affluent suburbs like Scarsdale and passed state reading exams at more than twice the rate of district students, and three times the rate of New York City’s black and Hispanic students. In math, 94% of SA students passed the test, with 73% scoring at the advanced level.

With its first class set to graduate next year, Success Academy has developed a unique college admissions and persistence program, with the goal of preparing scholars to graduate from college within four years. This spring’s SAT scores show promise that the rigorous, collegiate high school program will meet that goal: the mean score for the class was 1230, which is the 84th percentile for national test takers and 94th percentile for black and Latino testers

Since opening its first school in Harlem 11 years ago, Success Academy has grown to a network of 41 high-performing schools, enrolling 14,000 students, 95% of whom are children of color and 74% from economically disadvantaged families. If Success Academy were its own school district, it would be the seventh largest district in New York State. There is strong parent demand for SA’s rigorous education which focuses not only on academics, but also has a robust program of electives including chess, dance, art, soccer, debate, and musical theater. This spring, more than 17,000 families applied for 3,000 open seats.

To meet this need, Success Academy plans to expand to 100 public schools over the next decade, serving 50,000 New York City children in grades K-12 every year, making it the size of the Atlanta or Boston school system.

ABOUT SUCCESS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS

 Founded in 2006, Success Academy Charter Schools are free public K through 12 schools open to all children in the state through a random lottery. With 41 schools across Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens, Success Academy enrolls 14,000 students, primarily low-income children of color in disadvantaged neighborhoods: 74% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch, 94% are children of color, 15% are students with disabilities, and 8.3% are current and former English language learners. Ranked in the top 0.3% in math and the top 1.5% in English among all New York State schools on 2016 state proficiency tests, Success Academy schools received more than 17,000 applications for fewer than 3,000 open seats this year. By August, Success Academy will operate 46 schools serving 15,500 children.

For more information about Success Academy, go to Successacademies.org.

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