It’s Time to Expand Success: Why New York City Needs More Success Academies

New York City spends more money per student than almost any other city in America — more than $36,000 per child each year, nearly double the national average. Despite that enormous investment, too many of our children are still unable to read or do math at grade level. We have some of the best teachers in the country, passionate parents who care deeply, and children filled with potential. What we lack is a system that puts students before politics. It is time we learned from what works, and no model in New York City works better than Success Academy.

A Proven Model of Excellence

Founded in 2006, Success Academy educates mostly low-income Black and Latino children from neighborhoods where traditional public schools have struggled for decades. Yet year after year, these students outperform their peers not only in New York City but across the entire state.

On the most recent state exams, 96 percent of Success Academy students passed math and 92 percent passed English, compared to roughly 50 percent in both subjects across New York City public schools. In some Success schools, children from Harlem and the South Bronx are outperforming students in the most affluent suburbs. That is not a statistical quirk — it is proof that when we expect excellence and create the right environment, children rise to meet the challenge.

Success Academies are public schools. They are free, open to everyone, and admit students by lottery. Their results come not from privilege or selectivity, but from structure, accountability, and an unshakable belief that every child can achieve at the highest level. When you walk into a Success classroom, you do not see chaos or indifference. You see order, curiosity, and joy. You see children who know they are capable of greatness — and teachers who are empowered to help them reach it.

Why the Opposition Exists

So why doesn’t every family in New York City have access to a school like this? The answer, unfortunately, is politics.

Teachers unions and entrenched education bureaucracies oppose Success Academies not because they fail, but precisely because they succeed without them. Success Academy teachers are not unionized, and their schools are not bound by the thousand-page rulebooks that dictate everything from staffing to classroom decorations in district schools. They have the freedom to innovate, to move quickly, and to be held accountable for results.

Union leaders often claim that charter schools “steal” money from public schools. That is simply false. Success Academies are public schools — they are funded by taxpayers and serve public school students. The real issue is that they spend money more efficiently. They don’t carry layers of bureaucracy or central-office bloat. They direct resources where they matter most — into classrooms, teachers, and children.

The Department of Education’s annual budget is roughly $38 billion — larger than the entire state budget of Delaware. Yet we still have schools where fewer than 20 percent of students can read or do math at grade level. This is not a funding problem. It is a leadership problem. It is time to stop defending systems that do not work and start expanding the ones that do.

The Cost of Success vs. the Price of Failure

A common misconception is that charter schools like Success Academy are expensive. In fact, the opposite is true. The city already spends over $36,000 per student in traditional schools, while Success Academies operate at significantly lower per-pupil costs. Despite leaner budgets, their students consistently achieve some of the highest academic results in the nation.

Imagine if we simply replaced our most persistently failing schools with Success-style charters. The same tax dollars could finally deliver measurable outcomes — not excuses. The truth is that Success Academies have proven that high performance and fiscal responsibility are not mutually exclusive. They demonstrate what happens when funding is tied to results rather than bureaucracy.

My Plan as Mayor

As Mayor of New York City, I will not allow another generation of children to be trapped in failing schools while bureaucrats debate semantics and union leaders protect their power. My plan is straightforward and rooted in common sense.

First, I will authorize 50 new Success-style charter schools during my first two years in office, focusing on the neighborhoods with the greatest need — the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Upper Manhattan.

Second, I will require full transparency on student retention, special education services, and performance outcomes to ensure that all schools, charter or district, serve students fairly and inclusively.

Third, I will streamline the approval process for co-location, allowing high-performing charters to use underutilized public school space instead of letting buildings sit half-empty.

Fourth, I will create a Parent Choice Fund to help families in low-performing school zones access high-performing schools. Parents deserve options, and their children deserve opportunities, regardless of their ZIP code.

Finally, I will establish a joint teacher development initiative that allows educators from both public and charter schools to share best practices. Great teaching is not partisan — it is universal.

A Call to Courage

When I speak with parents across the city — from Harlem to Queens, from the Bronx to Staten Island — they tell me the same thing. They do not care whether their child’s teacher belongs to a union or not. They care whether their child is learning, whether their child is safe, and whether their child has a chance to succeed in life.

This is not a battle between charters and public schools. It is a battle between politics and progress. It is about whether we have the courage to put children before power and results before rhetoric.

If we truly believe in equality, then we must also believe in equal opportunity. Every parent in New York City should have the right to choose a great school for their child. Every child should have access to a classroom where excellence is the standard, not the exception.

Success Academy has proven what is possible. Now it is up to us to ensure that success is not confined to a few lucky ZIP codes, but extended to every family in this city. Because in New York City — the greatest city in the world — success should not be the exception. It should be the rule.