Success Academy Students Soar To Top Of New York State In Results Of Proficiency Exams
Contact: Ann Powell, 646-894-6407 [email protected] For the seventh consecutive year, Success Academy Charter Schools – which serve primarily low-income children of color – have scored among the highest-performing schools in New York State. The results are strong: 93% of Success Academy students were proficient in math and 68% were proficient in English Language Arts, compared with New York City students overall, who scored 35% and 30%, respectively. About 3,000 Success Academy students in grades 3-8 took the test last spring — without a single student opting out. Success Academy students outperformed New York City students overall by more than 60 percentage points in math and almost 40 percentage points in ELA. Across all subgroups of students — various demographics, students with disabilities, English language learners — Success Academy students achieved higher proficiency rates than their peers across New York City and in affluent suburbs like Scarsdale and Bronxville. “These results prove that the educational inequality that traps thousands of New York City’s children of color in poverty can be eliminated, if only our elected officials muster the political will,” said Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Success Academy. About half of New York City’s white students tested as proficient in ELA; at Success Academy, 65% of black students, 71% of Hispanic students, and 65% of economically disadvantaged students scored as proficient. About 77% of Success Academy students receive free or reduced-price school lunch, yet 92% are proficient in math and 65% are proficient in ELA. About 14% of Success Academy students are special needs students, and 72% scored proficient in math — nearly twice the rate as NYC’s general education students — and 38% are proficient in ELA, compared to NYC’s 11%. If Success Academy were a single school, it would rank 11th out of 3,539 schools statewide in math (top 1%) and 90th in ELA (top 3%) among all New York State schools. Demographics for the 3,065 Success Academy test takers:- 65% Black
- 27% Hispanic
- 4% White
- 77% Economically disadvantaged
- 14% Students with disabilities
- 2% Current English language learners (5% are former ELL students)
- In math, 5 of the top 10 schools in New York State are Success Academy schools:
- Success Academy Bed-Stuy 1 (#1 non-selective school in the state, and #2 overall)
- Success Academy Williamsburg (#2 non-selective school in the state)
- Success Academy Upper West
- Success Academy Harlem 4
- Success Academy Bronx 2
- In ELA, 3 of the top 20 schools in New York State are Success Academy schools:
- Success Academy Upper West (#15)
- Success Academy Cobble Hill (#16)
- Success Academy Bed-Stuy 1 (#18)
- At Success Academy Bed-Stuy 1, 100% of third graders passed math and 99% of all students (third and fourth graders) passed math
- 100% of seventh graders at SA Harlem Central passed math
- At Success Academy Williamsburg, 99% of scholars passed math
- SA Upper West, among the most diverse schools in NYC, ranked #5 statewide in math and #15 in ELA
Proficiency Rate Comparisons Across Sub-Groups | ||||
NYC DOE SCHOOLS | SUCCESS ACADEMY | |||
% Students Proficient in Math | % Students Proficient in ELA | % Students Proficient in Math | % Students Proficient in ELA | |
All Students | 35% | 30% | 93% | 68% |
Black Students | 19% | 19% | 92% | 65% |
Hispanic Students | 24% | 20% | 95% | 71% |
White Students | 57% | 51% | 100% | 94% |
Asian Students | 67% | 52% | 100% | 90% |
Special Needs Students | 11% | 7% | 72% | 38% |
English Language Learners | 15% | 4% | 84% | 37% |