Two Success Academy charter schools in Brooklyn were ranked #1 and #2 in the statewide math test results for third to eighth graders that was released yesterday.
SA Bed-Stuy 1, 70 Tompkins Avenue, had 100% of its third-graders pass the math exam, and 99% of its third and fourth graders pass the math exam to place as the #1 non-selective school in the state – meaning it takes open admission- and was #2 overall.
The school, first established in 2011, has 424 K-4 students and is co-located with The School for the Urban Environment (district middle school); Foundations Academy (district high school); and a District 75 special education program.
“These tests are very challenging — as scores across the city and state show” said SA Bed-Stuy1 Principal Javeria Khan. “But SA Bed-Stuy 1 scholars are incredibly hard-working and they aim to be their absolute best. They work hard to reach that goal. All but one 3rd grader received a 4 in math and all but four 4th graders received a 4 in Math. They are showing the world what Bed Stuy scholars can achieve.”
The Bed-Stuy charter school was first established in 2011. It has 424 K-4 students and is co-located with The School for the Urban Environment (district middle school); Foundations Academy (district high school); and a District 75 special education program.
SA Williamsburg, 183 South 3rd Street, placed #2 statewide in non-selective math scores with 99% of its students passing the test. The school has 445 K-4 students, and is co-located with JHS 50 John D Wells.
“I couldn’t be prouder of SA Williamsburg 3rd grade scholars, families, and teachers. They worked incredibly hard, and it shows,” said SA Williamsburg Principal Abigail Johnson. “They are great mathematicians, readers and, writers but they are also artists, chess champions, athletes and musicians. Most importantly, they have strong character and they work as a team to make sure every scholar is meeting their full potential.”
Like most SA schools, the Bed-Stuy and Williamsburg schools serve primarily low-income students of color. These schools not only fared better than most of the city’s higher-income white and Asian public schools, but totally bucked the trend of the city’s pubic schools.
About half of the city’s white students tested as proficient in ELA while SA schools saw 65% of its black students, 71% of its Hispanic students, and 65% of its economically disadvantaged students scored as proficient.
About 77% of SA students receive free or reduced-price school lunch, yet 92% are proficient in math and 65% are proficient in ELA.
The percentage of public school Asian students who were proficient in ELA was 52.5% and white students was 51.3%. Both black and Hispanic public school students had a little under 20% proficiency on their ELA tests.
“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 SA Founder and CEO Eva Moskowitz.
The results come as the de Blasio administration, in alliance with the politically powerful teacher’s union, continue to have a pitched battle with SA schools and Moskowitz.
This came to a head most recently several months ago, when the de Blasio-controlled Panel For Educational Policy wouldn’t allow an SA School to co-locate in Midwood’s Hudde Junior High School.
