Harlem Village Academy Leadership Charter School
Grades 1,5,6,7,8 · 2351 FIRST AVENUE · Manhattan
Todd Richardson/Megan Ou-yang, Principal · 646-812-9400
About
Harlem Village Academy Leadership Charter School, a charter school serving grades 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8, is known for its strong academic performance. Students consistently achieve very high proficiency rates in both English Language Arts and Math, significantly surpassing citywide averages. The school emphasizes a "deeper learning" philosophy, fostering critical thinking, independence, and a love for learning through a curriculum with a strong focus on literacy, numeracy, and project-based learning. It is housed within the old I.S. 45 building. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with survey results indicating high satisfaction with the school environment and staff. The school aims to cultivate intellectually sophisticated and compassionate individuals, with a college preparatory focus that begins in the middle grades. While the school serves a high-needs population, its suspension rate is a notable concern, registering well above the citywide average. The school fosters a supportive and inclusive environment, with an emphasis on social-emotional learning and character development.
Sources (13)
- Harlem Village Academy Leadership Charter School Official Data · 2023-2024
- HARLEM VILLAGE ACADEMY EAST CHARTER SCHOOL (HARLEM VILLAGE ACADEMY LEADERSHIP CHARTER SCHOOL, NY) Overview | Lumos Learning · Current
- Our Values - Harlem Village Academies · Current
- Harlem Village Academy East Charter School - State University of New York Charter Schools Institute · 2025
- Harlem Village Academies West Reviews - Niche · Current
- Harlem Village Academy East Charter School - District 4 - InsideSchools · Current
- Harlem Village Academies - Carney Sandoe · Current
- Harlem Village Academies - Getting Smart · 2026
- Harlem Village Academies - Wikipedia · Current
- Harlem Village Academies East Reviews - Niche · Current
- Character Counts at Harlem Village Academies - Our Town NY · 2015
- insideschools.org
- niche.com
Academics
State test proficiency rates and acceleration.
ELA proficiency
88%
Math proficiency
88%
Proficiency rates are from the Grade 3–8 NYS state test (school-level).
Attendance rate
—
Avg class size (general ed)
—
Avg class size (ICT)
—
Community & climate
Demographics, attendance, school survey results, and DOE quality ratings.
Quality signals
Parent survey · overall positive
88%28% response rate
Survey topics
Family outreach92%city 94%
- School staff regularly communicate with me about how I can help my child learn.89%
- Teachers work closely with me to meet my child's needs.89%
- My child's school communicates with me in a language that I can understand.93%
- I am greeted warmly when I contact or visit the school.96%
- My child's school will make me aware if there are any concerns about my child’s social or emotional well-being.93%
Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (92%) is their average, vs 94% citywide.
Parent–teacher trust94%city 95%
- I feel respected by my child's teachers.93%
- Staff at this school work hard to build trusting relationships with parents/guardians like me.96%
- My child's teachers treat me as a partner in educating my child.92%
Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (94%) is their average, vs 95% citywide.
Show all survey topicsShow fewer
Effective School Leadership
Inclusive Leadership93%city 95%
- The principal/school leader at this school…puts decisions made with families into action.91%
- The principal/school leader at this school…works to create a sense of community in the school.92%
- The principal/school leader at this school…ensures families are comfortable communicating with the school.96%
Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (93%) is their average, vs 95% citywide.
Strong Family-Community Ties
Parent Involvement in School73%city 63%
- Since the beginning of the school year, how often have you…communicated with your child's teachers about your child's performance?.100%
- Since the beginning of the school year, how often have you…seen your child’s projects, artwork, homework, tests, or quizzes?.96%
- I know how to contact the Parent Coordinator at my child’s school.23%
Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (73%) is their average, vs 63% citywide.
Trust
Parent-Principal Trust91%city 94%
- I feel respected by my child's principal/school leader.96%
- I trust the principal/school leader at their word (to do what they say that they will do).89%
- The principal/school leader is an effective manager who makes the school run smoothly.89%
Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (91%) is their average, vs 94% citywide.
Overall positive % is averaged across every Pos/Neg survey question per respondent group (school year 2023-2024). Survey topics are the DOE’s framework measures (each the average favorable response across its questions; expand a topic to see them and the citywide average); the dimension scores themselves are no longer in the public data file.[3]
Operational health
Attendance
—
Chronic absenteeism
38%
Suspension rate
14%
Teachers[7]
Teachers with 4+ years' experience
64%
Students per teacher
11:1
Teaching out of certification
87%
Teacher experience and certification from the NYSED School Report Card (2024–25); students per teacher = enrollment ÷ reported teachers. Fewer than 4 years counts as inexperienced.
Student body
Race / ethnicity[4]
- Black 56%
- Hispanic 37%
- Multiracial 6%
School-level totals; may not sum to 100% due to rounding and small subgroup suppression.
Gender[4]
- Female 48%
- Male 52%
Female / male shares as published by the DOE; other gender identities aren’t reported in the source data.
Enrollment
348
Economic Need Index
91%
Free / reduced lunch
91%
English learners
4%
Students with IEPs
21%
Location & commute
Where the school is and how to get there.