At a Glance
A high-scoring Brooklyn charter where families compete for the lottery — and where a recent score dip and very high chronic absenteeism complicate the picture.
Best suited for
Families who want a highly structured, test-strong elementary experience and are comfortable with the lottery and the demanding daily culture of the Success Academy network.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of NY State ELA + math proficiency, grades 3–8
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Math proficiency near its all-time high (97.6%), almost matching the network's 2019 peak
- One of the most racially integrated student bodies in this affluent slice of Brooklyn, with a 86% diversity index
- An overall score (3.79/4) that ranks among the top in District 15, ahead of most zoned peers
- Small enough to feel like a community at 377 students, while being part of the larger Success Academy network
- Lottery-based admissions that draw applicants from beyond the immediate neighborhood, broadening who attends
Things to consider
- Admissions are by lottery, not zone — there's no guarantee of a seat, and oversubscription is the norm
- 74% chronic absenteeism is a real flag; even strong test scores can't overcome what's happening day-to-day in attendance
- ELA dipped meaningfully post-2019 (from 98.5% to 80.4% in 2023) before recovering — the school's recent history is more uneven than its current numbers suggest
- Family survey response was only 1%, so there's almost no public signal on what parents actually experience here
- Success Academy's known culture is highly structured and test-oriented; families who want more progressive or play-based elementary years may find the fit off
- Average class size of 25 is roughly typical for the district, not the small-class setting some lottery families assume
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 15
This school lands near the top of District 15 on raw proficiency, well above the district average of 65.5% ELA and 63.3% math, though it competes for families' attention with selective zoned options like the Beacon School. It's a genuine outlier in the district on test results, but it's not the only strong school in the area, and zoned families have alternatives.
Academics
This school is well above the District 15 average on both ELA (91.9% vs. 65.5%) and math (97.6% vs. 63.3%), and its overall score of 3.79/4 lands well above the district's 2.58/4. But the trajectory is bumpy: ELA peaked at 98.5% in 2019, dropped to 80.4% in 2023, and has since climbed back to 91.9% in 2025. Math followed a similar arc — 100% in 2019, 90.5% in 2022, 97.6% now. The recent recovery is real, but the school hasn't fully returned to its pre-2020 peak.
Culture
The 92.3% attendance rate is just a hair below the district average of 93.5%, but the chronic absenteeism figure tells a more striking story — 74% of students miss 10% or more of school days, which is high even by city standards and worth asking about. Class size at 25 is roughly average for the district. Family survey data is too thin to read — only about 1% of families responded — so there isn't meaningful information here about how parents actually feel about the school.
Community
The student body is unusually mixed for a charter in an affluent neighborhood: roughly 26% Black, 28% Hispanic, 26% White, 14% Asian, and 6% multiracial, giving a 86% diversity index. That's notably more integrated than many selective schools in the area, and it reflects Success Academy's network-wide practice of recruiting from a wider geographic area than the surrounding zoned schools. The neighborhood itself is comparatively wealthy (median income $139,897, 13.5% poverty), so this is a charter drawing from a broader applicant pool than the typical Cobble Hill family.
Neighborhood
The school sits in the Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill-Gowanus-Red Hook neighborhood, where about one in five households has children and two-thirds of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher — one of Brooklyn's most education-dense areas. The population skews affluent and homeownership is comparatively low (31%), which in this part of Brooklyn usually means families are renting brownstones and apartments in a stable, family-oriented community. Getting here is straightforward on public transit.
Bergen St (F, G) is about a 4-minute walk, Carroll St (F, G) is about 7 minutes, and Borough Hall (4, 5) is about 11 minutes — three reasonable subway options depending on direction.
Enrollment & applying
Enrollment availability is tracked from the school's published listings and refreshed daily. Confirm cycle dates on the school's own site before applying.
Academic Performance
ELA Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State ELA exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Math Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Math exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Historical Trends
The dashed line marks 2023, when New York changed its grades 3–8 state tests. Scores before and after it aren’t directly comparable.
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Economic Need & Special Populations
Make this school part of your plan
Everything on this page is yours to read. An account keeps your research in one place.
No credit card required
Compare head-to-head
Explore nearby
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Success Academy Charter School - Cobble Hill a good school?
- On Motley, Success Academy Charter School - Cobble Hill earns an overall rating of 95/100 — the average of the school's New York State ELA and math proficiency, grades 3–8, shown out of 100. Its state test results run above the District 15 average.
- What grades does Success Academy Charter School - Cobble Hill serve?
- Success Academy Charter School - Cobble Hill serves grades K to 5.
- How do students get into Success Academy Charter School - Cobble Hill?
- Success Academy Charter School - Cobble Hill is a charter school — it admits through a free public lottery, with no test or attendance zone.
- Is Success Academy Charter School - Cobble Hill public, charter, or private?
- Success Academy Charter School - Cobble Hill is a public charter school in NYC Community School District 15.
- What neighborhood is Success Academy Charter School - Cobble Hill in?
- Success Academy Charter School - Cobble Hill is in Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill-Gowanus-Red Hook, Brooklyn.