St. HOPE Leadership Academy Charter School

St. HOPE's math proficiency of 53.3% sits just above the District 5 average of 50.7%, while ELA at 39.4% trails the district's 53.9%. But the more interesting story is the trajectory: in 2016 the school posted 12.1% ELA and 8.6% math proficiency, and 2025 brought a sharp jump in math to 53.3%. Math proficiency in 8th grade reaches 62.7%, suggesting students who stay through middle school are increasingly mastering grade-level work. The weak spot is 6th-grade ELA at 27.5% — incoming students clearly need a runway to catch up.

Family-facing numbers are unusually strong for a high-need school: parent satisfaction is 96% (above the district's 90.8%), parent-principal trust reaches 98%, and teachers rate instruction quality at 93% (above the district's 88%). Teacher collegial trust is 87%. The honest tradeoff is attendance — the school's 86.8% attendance rate sits below the district's 88.6%, and nearly half of students (48.7%) are chronically absent. There is a striking gender gap, with 60.6% of male students chronically absent versus 37.9% of female students. Day-to-day, families feel heard, teachers rate their leaders well, but consistent attendance is the school's biggest climate challenge.

The student body is 56% Black and 37% Hispanic, closely mirroring North Harlem's demographic makeup. The economic need index of 93.7% means nearly every student comes from a low-income household, and 27% of students have IEPs — a meaningfully higher share than the citywide average. Average class size of 18.7 is essentially in line with the district. This is a school serving the working-class families who make up the surrounding neighborhood.

North Harlem households earn a median of about $54,700 a year, with roughly a quarter living below the poverty line. Only about 10.3% of neighborhood households include children — a relatively low share — and just over a third of adults hold a bachelor's degree. Homeownership is rare, at around 12.6%, and most families rent. The community is working-class, mostly Black and Hispanic, and largely renters.

Three subway stops are within walking distance: the B and C trains at 135 St (about 5 minutes), the 2 and 3 at 135 St (about 6 minutes), and the 2 and 3 at 125 St (about 10 minutes).