Future Leaders Institute Charter School, New York NY

Original Research by School Decision on Future Leaders Institute Charter School

Future Leaders Institute Charter School sits on West 122nd Street in upper Manhattan, serving about five hundred students in a small, densely enrolled K-8 model. The school is located in the heavily walked, transit-rich envelope of New York City, where subways and dense mixed-use blocks are the default. Families in the catchment live in a neighborhood with strong public transit access and are likely familiar with the broader ecosystem of New York public schools and charter options.

The school has experienced enrollment decline over recent years, shrinking steadily. This is a material fact to weigh. A small school with falling enrollment can face real pressures: consolidation of grades or mixed-age classes, tighter course offerings, staffing decisions, and longer-term questions about sustainability. Parents considering this school may want to speak directly with the administration about enrollment trends, planned staffing, and how the school manages class sizes and elective offerings as enrollment changes.

On state testing, the school's results show mixed performance across grades and subjects. In math, third and fifth graders show proficiency rates around the midpoint statewide, while fourth and sixth graders score considerably lower. Seventh and eighth grade math improves noticeably, with seventh graders reaching near or above the midpoint. In English language arts, the pattern differs: third and seventh graders perform above the midpoint, eighth graders perform above the midpoint as well, but fourth, fifth, and sixth graders all fall below. Science testing is limited; fifth grade proficiency is low, while eighth grade science sits below the midpoint. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it below the midpoint when compared to other charter and public schools in New York County. This suggests uneven preparation across grades and subjects, with particular softness in the middle elementary years and science instruction.

The student body is predominantly low-income and Black or Latino. Roughly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the school serves a small number of students of other racial backgrounds. The school's website and public information do not clearly detail special education enrollment or English learner population numbers; parents may want to inquire directly about these supports and whether they align with their child's needs.

The school draws from one of the city's most economically active neighborhoods, anchored by finance, technology, and professional services. Housing values in the zip code remain high, though median rents have edged up. Families moving into or already living in upper Manhattan often weigh the balance of public schools, charter schools, and private options carefully, and transit access makes many schools in the city reachable.

The school identifies as a "regular" public school, not a magnet. It is a charter school, meaning it operates under a state charter agreement rather than through the traditional public school district. No information was available about its specific pedagogical model, program emphases beyond core academics, or how it differs from other local schools in structure or teaching approach. Parents interested in the school's instructional philosophy should request a visit and ask directly about curriculum, class structure, and any signature programs.

Future Leaders Institute is a small, community-embedded school facing real enrollment headwinds and showing mixed academic results. It serves a predominantly low-income population in a dense urban setting where school choice is high and alternatives are many. For a family in the neighborhood considering this school, the key questions are whether the specific grade(s) in question show strength on state tests, whether the school's enrollment and staffing situation feels stable for the coming years, and whether the school's teaching philosophy and available programs are a fit for their child.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

New York Regents Exams

1 course reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Math	7	29.0%

Math

Grade 347%

School 47% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 431%

School 31% · district not reported

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 622%

School 22% · district not reported

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 760%

School 60% · district not reported

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 857%

School 57% · district not reported

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 57 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 419%

School 19% · district not reported

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

Grade 538%

School 38% · district not reported

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 762%

School 62% · district not reported

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 865%

School 65% · district not reported

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Science

Grade 527%

School 27% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 557%

School 57% · district not reported

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 867%

School 67% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.