Schools

Record-High Enrollment at Success Academy Charter Schools

12,266 New York City families applied for nearly 2,500 seats this fall--a rate of five applicants for every open seat

 

The race is on and the competition is fierce for New York City parents vying for a spot at one of the 18 Success Academy Charter Schools across the city.

According to a press statement released today by the school's network organization, this year, 12,266 New York City families applied for nearly 2,500 seats this fall--a rate of five applicants for every open seat.

Find out what's happening in Prospect Heights-Crown Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In February, the Success Academy Bed-Stuy 1 location on Tompkins Avenue made headlines after it suffered five back-to-back shooting incidents outside the school over an eight-day period.

In response, the community staged a large protest of parents, students, teachers and administrators, and the police have since ramped up security.

Find out what's happening in Prospect Heights-Crown Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But even with isolated reports of violence, the charter school network, founded by former city councilwoman Eva Moskowitz, seems to have remained unshaken. According to the organization, it consistently ranks among the city and state’s highest performing public schools, with 97 percent of students meeting math standards and 88 percent meeting reading standards on last year’s state exams.

Its record of achievement has continued to attract a diverse cross section of students, including families from each of the city's 32 school districts representing children zoned for 576 different elementary schools in both low-income and mixed-income neighborhoods.

In Harlem, more than 40 percent of eligible kindergartners from Central Harlem applied to a Success Academy school. The Upper West side location received 2,560 applications for for grades K-3 for around 150 seats-- a rate of 17 applications per seat.

Success Academy Cobble Hill, which opened just this past year, received 1,773 applications for around 100 seats in grades K-2.

In response to demand, the organization is opening six new schools for the 2013-2014 school year that will be located in Union Square, Hell's Kitchen, a third Bronx location, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights and Fort Greene.

A random admissions lottery was held on Friday, and families will be notified by mail whether their children received a seat. Those who do not immediately gain enrollment will be waitlisted, said the organization.

For more information on Success Academy, visit its website.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Prospect Heights-Crown Heights