Success Academy Charter School - Upper West
Grades K-8 · 145 WEST 84 STREET · Manhattan
William Abbott, Principal · 646-274-1580
About
Success Academy Charter School - Upper West is a large K-8 charter school in Manhattan, serving nearly 1,000 students. It is widely recognized for its exceptional academic performance, with students achieving ELA and Math proficiency rates (95% and 96% respectively) that are significantly above citywide medians. The school consistently ranks among the top in New York for overall test scores, demonstrating particularly strong math and reading proficiency. Its rigorous, inquiry-based curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, rich texts, and conceptual reasoning, with middle school students taking New York State Regents exams in subjects like Algebra I and Global History, where pass rates are nearly perfect. Official parent surveys indicate exceptionally high satisfaction, with 100% positive responses across various questions. While many parents praise the academic excellence and nurturing teachers, some describe a highly structured and disciplined environment, with concerns raised about the intensity of the academic culture and support for students with special education needs. The school maintains a very low suspension rate.
Sources (11)
Academics
State test proficiency rates and acceleration.
ELA proficiency
95%
Math proficiency
96%
Proficiency rates are from the Grade 3–8 NYS state test (school-level).
Attendance rate
Community & climate
Demographics, attendance, school survey results, and DOE quality ratings.
Quality signals
Parent survey · overall positive
85%6% response rate
Survey topics
Financials
[8]What this school has to spend, and what it spends it on. Spending is not a measure of quality. Schools serving more students with higher needs receive more money.
Charter schools manage their own budgets rather than receiving a school allocation from the DOE, so the staffing and supplies breakdown the DOE publishes for district schools is not published for this school.
Spending
Total spend
$18.0MStudents: 1,002
Location & commute
Where the school is and how to get there.