We supported Success Academies New York in years past with curriculum development, and most recently provided a catalytic $1 million dollar grant to Success Academies of Florida to open schools in Florida.
Success Academies comprises New York State’s fourth largest school district, educating 22,000 students. Across the network, 64% of students are African American, and 22% of students are Hispanic. Success Academies scholars’ results have surpassed those of affluent white students on state tests, Regents, APs, and SATs. Success schools rank #1 in New York State in mathematics – outperforming suburban districts in Westchester and Long Island. More than 95% of 8th graders pass the Regents biology test, meant for high school students. Success Academy Black and Hispanic Students Pass the Math State Exams at double the rate of public non charter schools: (95.5% Black Success students vs 43% Black and 96.8% Hispanic Success students vs 43.1% Hispanic) Nearly half of this year’s graduating seniors plan on majoring in math, science, or engineering. For eight years in a row, all SA graduates – 100% – have been accepted into four-year colleges, most with robust financial aid.
Building on its record in New York, our grant supported Success in preparing to bring its model to Florida, where the need for quality schools is acute: only 19% of Florida’s eighth-graders scored proficient in math on NAEP (vs. 23% in NYC), and in Miami-Dade County African-American students scored 31 points lower than white peers on state math tests (vs. 22% lower in NYC). After several years of policy groundwork, Success helped secure landmark legislation in Florida providing access to underutilized facilities and performance-based funding for schools that serve low-income children and deliver strong results. With this favorable policy environment in place, Success plans to launch 40 schools over the next decade, beginning with the first 3–5 schools in August 2027. Success’ expansion to Florida has also received a $50 million dollar grant from philanthropist, John Griffin.