FIVE SUCCESS ACADEMY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS NAMED AMONG NATION’S TOP 25 BY NICHE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, SEPTEMBER 30, 2025

Contact: Ann Powell (347) 432-7482
[email protected]

FIVE SUCCESS ACADEMY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS NAMED AMONG NATION’S TOP 25 BY NICHE

Charter Schools Dominate Rankings Among NYC Public Elementary Schools

New York, NY — Today, Success Academy announced that five of its elementary schools have been named to Niche’s 2026 list of the 25 Best Public Elementary Schools in America out of approximately 60,000 elementary schools nationwide. The schools recognized include:

• Success Academy Hell’s Kitchen (Manhattan) — #5
• Success Academy Bensonhurst (Brooklyn) — #9
• Success Academy Bushwick (Brooklyn) — #17
• Success Academy Hudson Yards (Manhattan) — #17
• Success Academy Upper West (Manhattan) — #23

Only seven New York City schools are ranked in the national top 25, and six are public charter schools — five of them Success Academies — all of which admit students through a random lottery. The lone NYC district school on the list, New Explorations into Science, Technology & Math (NEST+m), is a highly selective Gifted & Talented program.

Success Academy Hell’s Kitchen was also named #1 on both the Best Public Elementary Schools and Best Charter Elementary Schools in New York ratings, with 16 other Success Academies among the list of 25. 

“This recognition is a testament to what children from all backgrounds can achieve when given access to extraordinary public schools,” said Eva Moskowitz, Founder and CEO of Success Academy. “Our scholars, most of whom come from disadvantaged neighborhoods, are proving every day that excellence is not determined by zip code.”

About Success Academy

Since its founding in 2006, Success Academy has created the highest-performing public school district in New York state, and a national model of access to excellence for children across all demographics. The network enrolls 22,000 children in 59 elementary, middle, and high schools. The majority of Success Academy scholars are from low-income households in disadvantaged neighborhoods, admitted through a random public lottery. Our distinctive K-12 approach, designed as a holistic 13-year educational trajectory, leads to student outcomes that outpace even those in affluent suburban schools. To date, 100% of SA’s graduates have been accepted to college, many to highly selective institutions. Most are the first in their families to have the opportunity for higher education. We regularly share our groundbreaking curriculum and methods with educators and school leaders across the country. By scaling excellence and reigniting the civic mission of education, Success Academy is leading a movement to reinvent public education. All children can thrive and achieve in school, in college, and in life — Success Academy students and teachers prove it every day.