Success Academy Charter School - Bushwick

These are genuinely outstanding test scores — 94.9% ELA and 97.2% math proficiency put this school in a different league from District 32's 46% and 43% averages. The historical trend shows some volatility: scores dipped in 2022-2023 (ELA dropped to 85.6%) but have rebounded strongly, with math hitting 100% in 2024 and holding at 97.2% in 2025. Grade 4 slightly underperforms Grade 3 in both subjects, which is worth watching. Bottom line: students here are consistently performing at very high levels, outpacing peers across the district by a wide margin.

This is where the picture gets complicated. The 94.4% attendance rate looks decent, but the 83.3% chronic absenteeism rate is extraordinary — meaning most students are missing significant portions of the school year, which raises questions about whether families fully buy into the school model. The suspension rate of 12% is more than ten times the district average of 1.2%, with suspensions climbing from 70 in 2021-22 to 106 in 2023-24. Family survey response was essentially nonexistent (1%, just 4 responses), making it hard to assess parent sentiment. Teacher instruction quality scores 86%, slightly above the district average, but the discipline trajectory and absenteeism patterns suggest a high-pressure environment that doesn't work for every family.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic (74%) with significant Black enrollment (17%), reflecting Bushwick's demographics. With 79.5% economic need and a diversity index of 48%, this is a community of predominantly working-class families. Only 10% of students have IEPs, notably lower than typical district schools, which may reflect the school's selective lottery process or different approaches to special education identification.

Bushwick is a densely populated, transit-connected neighborhood — the transit score of 89.66 reflects excellent subway access. The family density score of 82.76 confirms this is a neighborhood with lots of kids. However, the safety score of 23.75 is notably low, and environmental health indicators show concerns (elevated lead rates at 21.2% and high asthma emergency department rates). The median home value of $949,127 and low homeownership rate of 20.5% indicate a renter-heavy community with rising housing costs. Families should know the neighborhood has evolved rapidly and opinions on safety vary block by block.

Highly walkable and transit-accessible neighborhood — many families likely walk or take public transit, which aligns with the area's strong transit score and urban character