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Charter High Schools NYC

College ready. Life prepared.
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High School

Supporting independence

In high school, students take ownership of their own paths to college — with thoughtful guidance and encouragement — choosing from a robust suite of academic and non-academic electives, clubs, teams, and leadership opportunities. Core classes are collegiate in content and scope, with additional honors tracks and academies for students who want to start cultivating expertise in specific subject areas before they even step on a campus. Every aspect of our high school model is designed to cultivate the skills, mindsets, and knowledge students need to successfully navigate the demands of college, citizenship, and professional life.

High School

A day in the life

Before classes begin, students socialize over breakfast and meet with their advisors to discuss goals for the day ahead.

Two charter high school students chatting at a table

Getting ahead

Building on the knowledge and mindsets gained in K-8, high schoolers are immersed in an intellectually driven and deeply engaging curriculum prioritizing student-led inquiry, applied problem-solving, and cross-disciplinary perspectives.

Exploring what’s within

Students discover passions, participate in clubs and teams, and become leaders in our unique arts and athletics programs, building the confidence and maturity to thrive throughout their life journeys.

Ready to conquer the world

College application guidance and SAT prep positions students to stand out and graduate as compassionate, driven individuals who know what contributions they want to make in the world.

Head smart, heart strong

Building upon self-advocacy skills learned in K-8, students practice healthy strategies for managing life’s complexities. Specialists further support their development school-wide, in small groups, and through one-on-one instruction.

Advanced Placement

A core component of our high school curriculum, all students take Advanced Placement (AP) courses — college-level courses that culminate in an external exam — and select students can apply for dual-enrollment at Columbia University and New York University.

STEM

Our math and science program asks students to pose their own conjectures when faced with unfamiliar problems and to follow lines of inquiry by drawing on their prior knowledge. Students can begin taking AP science courses as early as sophomore year, and select students can enroll in our engineering and pre-med STEM Academies. All students take four years of science and math.

Humanities

All students take four years of English. Ninth- and tenth-grade students engage in broader historical contexts — Survey of Great Books and Canonical Works of American Literature — while upperclassmen choose among courses in AP Literature, creative writing, and old, middle, and early modern English Literature. Students in the top 10% of their class can take honors-track courses and also participate in the Humanities Academy, which is a diploma distinction that reflects a robust suite of AP level courses reserved for collegiate study.

History

Students continue to learn about concepts in our new history curriculum, which includes two years of AP World History and at least one year of U.S. history. AP World History provides a robustly diverse understanding of our human heritage and includes texts such as King Leopold’s Ghost, about Congo Free State under Belgian colonial rule at the turn of the 20th century, and excerpts from Decolonizing the Mind by Ngugi wa Thiong’o. In U.S. history, students read The New Jim Crow and The Color of Law, among other texts examining race and structural racism.

Competitive teams

Students have the opportunity to compete in regional and national tournaments for basketball, chess, and debate. Traveling across the city, state, and country to compete against top private and public schools, students develop confidence, worldliness, and a sense of commitment.

Clubs

Socializing and creating friendships while pursuing interests play a huge role in students’ development. Clubs provide an outlet for students to express themselves, hone in on specific talents, and develop leadership skills. They can join one of many existing clubs — such musical theater, photography, and psychology — or create their own.

Summer programs

Competitive collegiate, artistic, and outdoor leadership opportunities are available to students through the Success Academy Summer Experience program. These programs provide a depth of experience that sets students up for success in college. Many students spend at least one summer on a college campus in pre-college programs. Other summer experiences include dance workshops, cultural trips abroad, and theater programs.

Preparing for persistence

Dedicated deans help students develop crucial life habits such as time- and task-management, goal setting, and self advocacy. Students learn to prepare for living independently, become financially literate, leverage resources, manage stress, and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

College access

Though the average college counselor to student ratio nationwide is nearly 500 to one, we are fortunate to maintain a ratio of 60 students to 1 counselor. Our college counseling services rival, and often surpass, the counseling offered at elite independent schools. SA counselors advise on the best list of colleges where students can apply to maximize their successful graduation and financial outcomes; support students with financial aid applications; provide feedback on all college application writing, including for scholarships; and advocate on students’ behalf with admissions and financial aid officers.

Integrated Test Prep

In service of our college access and persistence goals, we offer a suite of completely free SAT preparatory services including three seasons of SAT course work focused on maximizing each student’s superscore. Additionally, we provide specialized SAT coaches focused on each student’s growth areas. Students complete these courses as juniors.

Growing independence

Teachers reinforce positive mindsets and guide students in developing clear plans to achieve their goals while growing their independence and self confidence. Students learn how to manage their time and stress, a vital skill for a successful transition to college and career.

Managing relationships

Navigating relationships is more important than ever in high school as students prepare to go out into society on their own. Working with SEL specialists, students learn to find and build their own communities of friendship, support, and solidarity, solidifying healthy patterns and relationships and realizing the power and beauty of working together.

Wellbeing

Our high schools’ dedicated social-emotional learning specialists leverage a wealth of resources to help students manage their emotions during challenging or stressful times. Students also have access to a collection of therapeutic tools, including free, 24-hour online therapy, that they can use to help them positively regulate their feelings and navigate the tumult of the teenage years.
High School

Meet the 2024 Rales scholars

Congratulations to the 27 seniors at Success Academy High School of the Liberal Arts–Manhattan selected to be members of this year’s Ruth and Norman Rales Scholars Program! This prestigious program is a partnership between Success Academy and the Ron Brown Scholar Program, fostered and funded by the Rales Foundation.

Meet the scholars
High School

Hear from our
scholars
  • scholars
  • parents
  • alumni

“

My favorite part of being a scholar at Success is being able to have many opportunities a lot of students don't get. I take a lot of AP classes and I’m glad I'm able to take that challenge and be able to prosper and get into college.

Jada Jogie
SA Scholar

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With over 55 free public charter schools, Success Academy is open to all New York State children. Find locations near you in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Queens.

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