East Harlem Scholars Academy Charter School, New York NY

Original Research by School Decision on East Harlem Scholars Academy Charter School

East Harlem Scholars Academy Charter School sits on Second Avenue in East Harlem, a dense, walkable Manhattan neighborhood well served by public transit. The school is a charter, currently enrolling students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, though families should be aware of an important structural change coming in 2026-27: the network is publicly reported to be reorganizing so that this charter entity shifts to serve only high school grades, with the K-8 population moving to a sister charter. Anyone considering enrollment for younger children will want to clarify directly with the school how this transition affects current and prospective students.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with a large share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. English learner and IEP rates were not available in the data.

State testing results on the New York State Testing Program cover grades three through eight in math, ELA, and science. The picture is uneven. In ELA, proficiency rates in the upper middle grades are meaningfully higher than in the lower grades, with sixth and eighth grade reaching above half of students tested. Math tells a different story: fourth grade is the high point, while fifth and sixth grade rates drop considerably, and the pattern does not recover strongly through eighth grade. Science proficiency at both tested grade levels is low, with only roughly one in five students reaching the proficient threshold. Relative to districts in New York County, the school's overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile of the comparison set. A parent who wants to understand what supports are in place for students below grade level should ask the school directly.

One item worth noting: participation rates in several grades, particularly in sixth and eighth grade math and eighth grade science, are below the state's standard testing participation threshold. Lower participation can affect how proficiency figures are interpreted, and it may be worth asking the school what accounts for the pattern.

On the high school side, the school publicly reported opening a dedicated grades nine through twelve building for the 2024-25 school year, described as the first new public high school building constructed in East Harlem in a very long time. The new facility is said to include science labs, robotics centers, art and music rooms, and a college access suite. Graduation rate data was not available in the data provided, so it is not possible to characterize outcomes for students who complete the full pathway. That is a gap worth investigating for families considering the school as a long-term commitment through twelfth grade.

The network has also adopted a phone-free school day policy beginning in 2025-26, using Yondr pouches for grades five through twelve, consistent with New York State's Distraction-Free Schools law. Families with older children will want to factor this into their sense of the daily environment.

Housing near the school reflects the Manhattan market broadly: home values in the area are well above the state median, and rents have been rising. Families researching this school from outside the immediate neighborhood face a competitive housing market. The surrounding East Harlem neighborhood is urban in the fullest sense, with mixed-use blocks, heavy foot traffic, and direct subway access.

AP course access, dual-credit offerings, and extracurricular program data were not available. The comparison fact-set did not include chronic absenteeism or graduation rate data for this school. Families weighing a long-term commitment to the network through high school would benefit from asking directly about college placement outcomes and course offerings at the new high school campus.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

4 courses 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
Science	161	20.0%
Math	160	22.0%
Ela	121	41.0%
Social Studies	119	54.0%

Math

Grade 344%

School 44% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 453%

School 53% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 525%

School 25% · district not reported

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 629%

School 29% · district not reported

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

Grade 735%

School 35% · district not reported

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

Grade 832%

School 32% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 332%

School 32% · district not reported

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · district not reported

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · district not reported

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 652%

School 52% · district not reported

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

Grade 744%

School 44% · district not reported

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

Grade 853%

School 53% · district not reported

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 519%

School 19% · district not reported

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

Grade 820%

School 20% · district not reported

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▲ 11 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income30%Higher-income43%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income54%Higher-income43%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income48%Higher-income73%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income29%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income0%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income28%Higher-income33%5 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income32%Higher-income30%2 pp gap