FAQs

sSuccess Academy was born out of a dual mission: to build world-class public schools that empower children from all backgrounds to succeed and to serve as a national model for education reform. 

Our first school, Success Academy Harlem 1, opened in 2006, serving 165 kindergartners and first graders. Today we operate 57 schools across four boroughs, serving 22,000 scholars, and we are expanding even further for the upcoming school year.

At Success Academy, we believe every year of a child’s education is critical. That’s why we fine-tune each of the 13 years your child will be at SA. Each grade’s learning goals are designed to lead your child on a journey of exploration that builds academic strength and personal confidence. We are reimagining how schooling should be organized and optimized – reverse engineering from college and twelfth grade to ensure every moment of these 13 years builds scholars’ readiness and appetite to compete on the world stage.

Success Academy’s school design leads to well-rounded scholars and outcomes that far exceed that of New York City district schools. In the 2023 New York State Exams, 93% of Success Academy scholars passed Math, compared to 50% of district students, and 80% Success Academy scholars passed ELA, compared to 52% of district students. 

Our middle schoolers prepare for four Regents exams before entering high school and pass at a rate of 90% or higher. By the time they graduate middle school, they will have taken their first Advanced Placement (AP) course.

Once in high school, they have access to 16 Advanced Placement courses, as well as dual enrollment programs with Columbia and Hunter. Among our first seven graduating classes, 100% have been accepted to a 4-year college. In 2024, our graduating class received at least one offer that met their full financial need as defined by the colleges.

No. We are a free public charter school! Success Academy also provides all children with necessary school supplies such as Chromebooks, software, pencils, and notebooks, as well as trips to museums and performances. Lunch and snacks are provided free of charge for all scholars, except on early dismissal days. Scholars who arrive at school early will also receive free breakfast every day. 

While Success Academy offers an integrated K-12 education, we only accept applications for grades K-4 and at select middle schools for grades 5 & 6.

Success Academy is one of many NYC public schools that require an application. By submitting an application, you give us critical information that helps make the lottery process as smooth as possible. It’s easy and takes five minutes! 

Submitting your Success Academy application is the first step in helping your child(ren) receive an exceptional education. Your application dashboard is the best way to get up-to-date answers about the enrollment process.

A child must be 5 years old by March 31 the school year they begin kindergarten. For the ‘25-26 school year, the birthday cut off is March 31, 2026 to be eligible.

Success Academy is committed to serving all children with IEPs. We offer an array of special education services and programs at our schools. We also work with the NYC Department of Education and external agencies to ensure speech, occupational, and physical therapists are available for our scholars with related service needs. If you have more specific concerns regarding your child’s individual requirements or IEP, please contact our Family Care Team at 646-472-1911, and a specialist will follow up with you to further discuss.

Success Academy offers scholars an exceptional education, with academic and extracurricular programs that surpass many gifted & talented (G&T) programs offered by the New York City Department of Education. Our scholars engage in an accelerated program that has kindergartners programming Bee-Bots and first graders taking on physics concepts. In math, our scholars begin working with three-digit numbers at an age when their district-school peers are still learning to add and subtract single digits. Our math program also includes a separate class on problem-solving that focuses on the types of open-ended problems students encounter in college-level math, science, engineering, and computer science. In English, our first and second graders learn to identify core themes in literature and understand characters’ motivations. We believe that art, music, dance, and sports are essential to elementary education and beyond. 

Unlike NYC G&T programs, at Success Academy once a child is accepted, they have a spot through high school graduation — there’s no need to reapply. Our K-12 program truly puts every child, including gifted and talented children, on the path for success in college and in life!

Success Academy offers after-school clubs and athletics, including Choir, Music, Visual Arts, Chess, Dance, Theater, Basketball, Track & Field and Soccer, two days a week in elementary school. Additionally, starting in middle school, scholars are offered  Competitive Chess and Debate, Instrumental Music, Soccer, Volleyball, Cross Country, Rowing, and Travel Basketball, two to five days a week.

No, we do not offer busing to or from the school. A close partnership between you and your scholar’s school is one of the most critical components of the Success Academy model. An important aspect of this partnership is the daily face-to-face interaction that you or another trusted adult will have with your scholar’s teacher during arrival and pickup. Watch this video to learn more.

Scholars are offered the choice to join after-school extracurriculars, sports, and clubs that each meet two afternoons a week. We do not offer 5-day/week after-school programs, but we are happy to provide information about local programming. Families are encouraged to contact the programs directly for hours, costs, and offerings and it is their responsibility to arrange for appropriate after-school service if necessary. 

School locations: 
SA School Locations

Information sessions and webinars:
To learn more about Success Academy, check out on-demand webinars and sign up to learn more about upcoming webinars