Success Academy Charter School - Flatbush

Test scores here run well above district averages: 82.5% ELA proficiency compared to roughly 60% across District 17, and a striking 91.7% in math against a district average near 57%. The school dipped after the pandemic (ELA fell to 59.7% in 2022) but has climbed steadily since, suggesting the academic program recovered and then some. Both grade 3 and grade 4 scores are strong, with math leading at every grade level — grade 3 hits 94.6% math proficiency. The overall score of 3.48 out of 4 puts the school solidly in the top tier of the district.

Day-to-day culture is shaped by the Success Academy model — structured, rigorous, and academically focused — but the survey signals are mixed. Parent satisfaction sits at 56%, well below the district average of 91%, while parent-teacher and parent-principal trust hover in the low- to mid-60s. That said, only six families completed the survey (a 1% response rate), so these readings are more of a thin signal than a definitive verdict. Daily attendance is roughly on par with the district at 91.2%, but a chronic absenteeism rate of 67.7% means a significant share of students are missing extended stretches of school — worth asking the school directly how they handle that.

The student body is 85% Black, with smaller shares of Hispanic (8%), White (3%), and multiracial students — a profile that closely mirrors the surrounding East Flatbush-Erasmus neighborhood. With an economic need index of 75.1, three-quarters of students come from lower-income households, and 13% have IEPs. Total enrollment of 573 students keeps the school at a moderate size — large enough to feel like a real school community, small enough that teachers may get to know students well.

East Flatbush-Erasmus is a middle-income Brooklyn neighborhood where the median household earns about $71,675 and most families rent (homeownership is just 17.4%). Roughly a third of adult residents hold a bachelor's degree, and 12.7% of households have children at home. The area is dense and transit-accessible, with a mix of Caribbean and African-American cultural presence that shows up in the school's demographics.

Three subway options within roughly ten minutes' walk: the B and Q at Church Avenue (about 7 minutes), the 2 and 5 at Church Avenue (about 9 minutes), and the Q at Parkside Avenue (about 10 minutes).