Success Academy Charter School - Williamsburg

Test scores here are far stronger than the typical District 14 elementary — 83.9% ELA proficiency against a district average of 62.4%, and 91.1% math proficiency against 59.5%. Math has been the steady strength for nearly a decade, hovering in the low- to high-90s every year on record. ELA has been more variable, peaking at 96.4% in 2019, dipping sharply to 63.6% in 2022, and climbing back above 80% since. The school's overall quality rating of 3.5 out of 4 sits well above the district average of 2.4, and both tested grade levels (3 and 4) are landing in the mid-80s to mid-90s.

The day-to-day feel at Success Academy tends toward structured and academically serious — the teacher instruction quality score of 95% is above the district average of 92.8%, suggesting strong classroom practice in the building. Attendance rate of 92.4% is also above the 88.9% district average. However, two figures deserve a parent's attention: chronic absenteeism runs at 71.7%, which is high even accounting for citywide patterns, and parent satisfaction is 83% — meaningfully below the district average of nearly 94%. The combination suggests families may feel the academic returns are real but the overall experience doesn't always land.

The student body is majority Hispanic (49%) with sizeable Black (20%), White (14%), multi-racial (12%), and Asian (6%) populations, giving a diversity index of 77%. The economic need index of 68.6 is fairly high, which is notable given the school sits in a neighborhood where the median household income tops $128,000. That gap tells you this Success Academy draws a more economically mixed student body than Williamsburg's surrounding census tract — families from across Brooklyn enter the lottery here.

Williamsburg is one of Brooklyn's higher-income neighborhoods, where 63.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher and median household income is around $128,876. About 12.5% of households have children, and most residents rent — homeownership is only 16.9%. The poverty rate of 15.6% reflects the area's mix of long-time residents and newer arrivals. For school families, this is a neighborhood where commute logistics matter: getting from the subway to the building is doable but takes some walking.

Most families arrive via subway — Marcy Avenue (M, J, Z lines) is about a 6-minute walk, Bedford Avenue (L) about 9 minutes, and Hewes Street (M, J) about 10 minutes. Plan for a real walk each way, especially with young kids in tow.