Success Academy Students Outperform Public School Peers in State Exams

Recent data shows that students from Success Academy charter schools significantly outperformed their counterparts in New York City public schools on this year’s state exams.

The results reveal that the pass rates for students in grades three to seven at Success Academy were twice as high as those in public schools.

Success Academy reported that 92.5% of its 9,280 students passed the 2025 English Language Arts (ELA) exam, while 96.2% demonstrated proficiency in math.

“When children have access to superior schools, they believe in achieving excellence and have proven themselves,” said Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Success Academy.

Moskowitz also lamented that barriers prevent many from accessing the quality of education that could help them reach their potential.

This year, Success Academy saw ELA pass rates increase by over 10% compared to the previous year, although math saw a more modest increase of 1.2%.

On the other hand, students in the largest public school district in the nation improved their scores, but overall, they still fell short in many areas.

According to the Department of Education, around 56.3% of public school students in grades 3-8 met the proficiency standards in ELA, and 56.9% passed math.

Additionally, Success Academy highlighted that its Black and Hispanic students outperformed their peers in public schools by significant margins.

Specifically, Black students at Success Academy achieved a math pass rate of 95.5%, compared to just 43% for public school students. Meanwhile, Hispanic students at Success Academy had a proficiency rate of 96.8%, while their public school counterparts scored 43.1%.

In terms of ELA results, Black and Hispanic students scored 91.8% and 93.2% proficient, respectively, while public school students from those demographics scored only 47% and 43.5%.

While state tests are generally administered to grades 3-8, the eighth graders at Success Academy took the Regents exams in ELA and Algebra instead.

Success Academy serves around 22,000 students across 59 schools, whereas the Department of Education manages about 1.1 million students in roughly 1,800 institutions.

Success Academy has consistently advocated for more space within Department of Education buildings while navigating challenges posed by the United Federation of Teachers and state leaders.

“Overall, the charter schools are on track, and we congratulate them,” Bronx Senator Louis Sepulveda remarked, expressing support for both charter and traditional public schools.

This week, Mayor Eric Adams, alongside public school officials, acknowledged the latest test scores from DOE, which showed an increase in the number of students passing ELA and math exams compared to last year.

Senator Sepulveda also commended the Department of Education officials for their efforts, noting that the test results indicate positive trends for traditional public schools.