Success Academy | About Us

In New York City, low-income black and Hispanic students are trapped in a system that fails them: four out of five do not complete high school, or graduate unprepared for college.

Success Academy set out to tackle this educational crisis more than a decade ago, with a groundbreaking school design that delivers a rigorous, whole-child education to students from all backgrounds. Today, our network of 45 K-12 schools outperforms every district in the state, proving irrefutably that all children are capable of excellence.

When you join Success Academy, you join a team working to solve the most pressing social issue of our day. In New York City alone, hundreds of thousands of black and Hispanic students are woefully underserved by their public schools: three quarters are reading and doing math below grade level. At Success Academy, educators join together in a fast-paced, innovative environment to close opportunity gaps for kids.

Build exceptional, world-class public schools that prove children from all backgrounds can succeed in college and life; and advocate across the country to change public policies that prevent so many children from having access to opportunity.

When you join our team, you join a community fighting for educational justice for all students, not just those in our schools. At Success Academy, you have the unique opportunity to advocate side-by-side with parents to change policies that prevent access to great public schools. Together, we meet with elected officials, author op-eds, and lead rallies and letter-writing campaigns. We also work to advance school improvement nationwide, by sharing our proven model through the Success Academy Education Institute.

Awards & Recognition

Thanks to the extraordinary work of our educators and staff, Success Academy schools have been nationally recognized and honored.

CREDO Study
A 2017 Stanford University study found that Success Academy scholars make more than twice as much academic progress in math and reading each year than their peers at district schools.
Blue Ribbons Schools
Six Success Academy schools have been recognized with a National Blue Ribbon Award, an honor granted each year to only 300 schools out of 130,000 in the nation.
Broad Prize
Success Academy is the recipient of the 2017 Broad Prize, awarded to charter management organizations for extraordinary achievement among black, Hispanic, and low-income students.
Ryan Award
Success Academy Senior Leader Liz Vandlik was honored with the Ryan Award for demonstrating transformational leadership in urban schools.

Founder and CEO

A longtime Harlem resident and mother of three (including two Success Academy scholars), Success Academy’s Founder and CEO Eva Moskowitz began her leadership in education reform as a New York City Councilmember and Education Committee chair. Success Academy’s distinctive school design grew out of those experiences, as did Eva’s impassioned advocacy for national reform. As CEO, Eva is engaged in all aspects of Success Academy, from leading advocacy campaigns, to directly managing eight schools, to cultivating rising leaders across the organization.

More About Our Leaders