Eva Moskowitz, CEO of Success Academy, said the education "system is failing" after New York released grades 3–8 test results showing 57% proficiency in math and 53% in ELA. Moskowitz blamed complex structural factors — including politicians, unions and bureaucracies — and defended charter schools as a choice for families with limited options. Success Academy reported 96% pass in math and 92% in ELA and serves about 22,000 mostly low-income Black and Hispanic students. The controversy over co-location and funding between charters and district schools continues.
Charter CEO: "The System Is Failing" After NY Finds Nearly Half Of 3–8 Students Not Proficient In ELA
The CEO of a charter school network based in New York City, Success Academy, argued that the system was failing students shortly after New York released its report card for grades 3–8.
Eva Moskowitz, CEO and founder of New York City–based Success Academy, sharply criticized the broader education system after New York State released its latest grades 3–8 report card.
"The children are fine. It is the system that is failing to deliver with incredible consequences," Moskowitz told Fox News Digital, arguing that structural problems — not students — explain persistently low outcomes in many schools.
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) said the newly published test data for grades 3–8 showed "meaningful signs of improvement." The state report card found that 57% of 3–8 students were proficient in math and 53% were proficient in English Language Arts (ELA).
Teenage girls sitting in a row at the desks in the classroom and writing an exam.
"These failing schools go on year after year after year, and the way it works in most urban areas or rural areas, for that matter, people are zoned for schools. And if you live on this side of the tracks, you are zoned for one set of schools, and if you live somewhere else, you have access to better schools," Moskowitz said.
Moskowitz described the causes as "complex," involving "politicians, unions and bureaucracies." She framed education as a bipartisan issue and defended charter schools as a way to expand options for families who cannot afford to move to higher-performing districts.
Success Academy highlighted its own performance in the state tests, reporting that 96% of its students passed math and 92% passed ELA for grades 3–8 — ranking the network first in math and second in ELA statewide. The network serves roughly 22,000 students, primarily low-income Black and Hispanic children, and refers to itself as the fourth-largest "school district" in New York because it provides district-level services at scale.
Moskowitz has previously clashed with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) over co-location of charter schools in district-run buildings. Critics of charter expansion say co-location and increased charter enrollment shift per-pupil funding away from traditional public schools, reducing resources that could otherwise be used for teacher pay, facilities, and hiring.
Fox News Digital contacted the New York State Education Department for comment. The debate over how best to improve student outcomes — through stronger district investment, charter expansion, school choice, or systemwide reform — remains a central and contentious issue in New York and nationwide.
