At a Glance
A high-achieving Success Academy elementary in West Harlem where tested students post some of the strongest math results in District 5
Best suited for
Families drawn to a structured, high-expectations charter model who secure a lottery seat and want strong academic results in elementary years — and who are comfortable asking pointed questions about attendance patterns and family engagement.
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 of 100% among tested grades
- Part of the Success Academy network, known for structured, high-expectations elementary programming
- Charter lottery admissions create an equal-opportunity entry point
- Class sizes around 18-19, comparable to or slightly smaller than district averages
Things to consider
- Parent satisfaction (67.6%) is notably below the District 5 average of about 91%
- Chronic absenteeism of 65.3% is high and worth asking the school directly about
- Family survey response was essentially zero, so parent perspectives are difficult to verify
- Charter enrollment means there is no zoned guarantee of a seat year to year
- High economic need and limited demographic diversity may not match every family's preferences
Based on 2024-2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 5
This school sits among the top performers in District 5, alongside peer charters like Harlem Village Academy West (96/100) and other Success Academy Harlem campuses scoring in the 90s. It outperforms most zoned elementary options in the area by a wide margin on academic measures.
Academics
Among tested grades, 76.9% of students are proficient in ELA and 100% are proficient in math — both well above the District 5 averages of roughly 54% and 51% respectively. Math scores have climbed steadily over three years, from 76.3% in 2022 to 90.4% in 2023 to a perfect 100% in 2024. ELA dipped in 2023 (56.4%) before rebounding to 76.9% in 2024. The school's overall quality score of 3.54 out of 4 sits comfortably above the district average of 2.09.
Culture
Teachers give instruction quality high marks at 91.4%, comfortably above the district average of 88%, suggesting the classroom experience itself is a strength. But only 67.6% of parents report being satisfied with the school — a striking gap from the District 5 parent satisfaction average above 90%. The family survey response was effectively zero (1 response), making the parent data hard to read on its own. Attendance on any given day is solid at 92.3% (better than the district's 88.6%), yet chronic absenteeism sits at 65.3%, meaning a large share of students are missing substantial school over the year. No suspension rate was reported.
Community
The student body is roughly 54% Black and 40% Hispanic, with the remainder spread across a few other groups — a mix that reflects the surrounding neighborhood, where about a quarter of households live below the poverty line and median household income is around $44,500. The school's economic need index of 86.5 indicates most students come from low-income families. About 19% of students have IEPs, slightly above typical citywide figures.
Neighborhood
Manhattanville-West Harlem is a predominantly working-class area where homeownership is just 5% and over a quarter of households live in poverty. Only about 8.6% of households include children, making this more of an adult-heavy neighborhood than a typical family suburb. Roughly 32% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, and median home values sit near $544,500.
Two 125th Street stations serve the school: the 1 train about 6 minutes on foot and the A/C/B/D lines about 8 minutes away. The 1 also stops at 137 St-City College, an 8-minute walk from the building.
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
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 1 families responded (0% rate)
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Economic Need & Special Populations
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Success Academy Charter School - Harlem 6 a good school?
- On Motley, Success Academy Charter School - Harlem 6 earns an overall rating of 89/100 — 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 5 average.
- What grades does Success Academy Charter School - Harlem 6 serve?
- Success Academy Charter School - Harlem 6 serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into Success Academy Charter School - Harlem 6?
- Success Academy Charter School - Harlem 6 is a charter school — it admits through a free public lottery, with no test or attendance zone.
- Is Success Academy Charter School - Harlem 6 public, charter, or private?
- Success Academy Charter School - Harlem 6 is a public charter school in NYC Community School District 5.
- What neighborhood is Success Academy Charter School - Harlem 6 in?
- Success Academy Charter School - Harlem 6 is in Manhattanville-West Harlem, Manhattan.