Founded in 2006 by former city Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz, Success Academy has expanded from a single Harlem charter school to a network of 46 sites in Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and Manhattan.
Using a lottery-based admissions system, Success currently enrolls roughly 15,500 students and seeks to grow to 100 schools in the coming years.
About 95 percent of Success Academy students are children of color, and roughly 77 percent are eligible for free lunch.
Critics have accused its schools of excessive discipline and an inordinate focus on test scores. They add that the charter network weeds out challenging kids with repeated suspensions that ultimately compel parents to pull them out.
But Success Academy’s strong academic results — which often surpass those of top private schools — have kept applications flowing and waiting lists long.
Moskowitz has frequent clashed with Mayor de Blasio, who has occasionally praised Success Academy but remains focused on traditional public schools.