NYC charter schools outperform public schools in state exam results

Recent New York City state exam results show a significant divergence between public school performance and charter school outcomes. While reading proficiency in traditional public schools dropped by 6 percentage points to approximately 50%, charter school networks reported high success rates.

Success Academy, the city’s largest charter network, reported that 96% of its students in grades 3 to 8 passed math exams and 91% passed English Language Arts. Notably, 12 of its schools achieved a 100% proficiency rate in both subjects. At Bronx Success Academy 4, 100% of the 195 students tested achieved the highest ‘Level 4’ rating in math.

Zeta Charter Schools also demonstrated strong results, with 92% of students meeting math standards and 86% meeting reading standards. Many students within these charter networks come from low-income backgrounds, with 72% qualifying for free or reduced meals, and include significant populations of English language learners and students with special needs.

Charter school leadership attributed these results to more rigorous curricula and focused instruction. Eva Moskowitz, founder of Success Academy, used the data to criticize the existing educational leadership and call for greater attention to the shortcomings of the traditional public school system.