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Future Leaders Institute Charter School

Grades: K-8
134 West 122nd Street
Manhattan NY 10027
Phone: 212-678-2868

Our Insights

What’s Special

Longer school day and year

The Downside

Building could use some sprucing up

Future Leaders Institute is a small charter school in Harlem that offers a longer school day and year and serves kindergarten through 8th grade students. It draws Harlem residents from the neighborhood but roughly half the students travel down on subways from the Bronx, often in friendly groups. Students visit the science room a couple times a week for hands-on science activities, such as creating circuits with batteries and wires.

Classrooms have a cozy lived-in look, with lamps, teacher-made learning charts, children’s artwork and book nooks with pillows: the kindergarten room has a loft. 

The day begins with morning meeting to set a positive tone. Though the academic portion of the day is long, children take movement breaks and get a “work choice” period, which may consist of dramatic play and blocks for the youngest, and educational games like Connect Four, chess and Uno as kids get bigger. 

Test scores have inched up in recent years under the leadership of principal Jody Flowers. Born and raised in Harlem, Flowers attended a gifted and talented program at PS 123 as a child. She has spent the bulk of her education career at Future Leaders, starting in 2006 as a reading teacher and moving on to classroom teaching in grades 3 through 5.  

To foster a love of reading at Future Leaders, Flowers has adopted the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University. She scheduled longer blocks of time for reading, writing and math, and teachers now divide up the reading period so children have time to read books on their own, as well as participate in small group instruction. Struggling readers get additional help with a reading specialist and we saw advanced readers working in a small group.

In an 8th grade math class we saw teens enthusiastically doing a project on the concept of functions using paper, scissors and glue. A new Regents Algebra class had a dozen students at the time of our visit and was expected to grow as 5th grade teachers began to prepare their students for the advanced class, Flowers said. 

The after school “enrichment” program runs until 4:45 pm for all students in grades K through 5; activities include dance, art, Korean lessons, drumming and chess. Middle school students stay after school twice a week (or more days if they have younger siblings), during which time they work on academic skills or activities such as dance, cooking or yearbook. The school also offers a four-week summer program and Saturday classes.  

Suspensions are above the citywide average. Flowers said the school suspends for minor things sometimes to prevent larger incidents later on, in part because it gets parents to come in so the school can communicate with them. “Sometimes we have to resort to that,” Flowers said. 

Future Leaders is housed on two floors of a long building shared with Young Diplomat’s Academy. The building is solid and comfortable but feels cluttered and worn in spots with missing floor tiles, utilitarian putty-colored window shades, and wooden coat closets dotted with old Scotch tape markings. Behind the school is a spacious renovated playground with climbing equipment and a track. 

ADMISSIONS: Lottery with preference to District 3. Parents should be aware that the school day goes until 4:45 pm. Summer classes are held in the month of July.(Lydie Raschka, November 2019)

 

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School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Is this school safe and well-run?

From the 2022-2023 NYC School Survey

How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
63%
80% Citywide Average
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
75%
56% Citywide Average
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
92%
78% Citywide Average
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
73%
79% Citywide Average

From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card

How many students were suspended?
0%
1% Citywide Average

From 2023 End-of-year Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism Report

How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
97%
83% Citywide Average
Years of principal experience at this school
7.0

How do students perform academically?

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many elementary school students scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
38%
53% Citywide Average
How many elementary school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
33%
50% Citywide Average
How many middle school students scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
55%
52% Citywide Average
How many middle school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
55%
57% Citywide Average

From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide

How many 8th-graders earn high school credit?
90%
91% Citywide Average

Who does this school serve?

From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Enrollment
299
Asian
1%
Black
70%
Hispanic
26%
White
1%
Other
2%
Free or reduced priced lunch
94%
Students with disabilities
27%
English language learners
3%

From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide

Average daily attendance
89%
91% Citywide Average
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
43%
35% Citywide Average

How does this school serve special populations?

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many students with disabilities scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
12%
27% Citywide Average
How many students with disabilities scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
8%
21% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
0%
17% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
0%
12% Citywide Average


For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Contact & Location

Location

Harlem (District 3)
Trains: 2 Line, 3 Line, A Line, B Line, C Line, D Line to 125th St
Buses: M2, M3, M7, M60-SBS, M100, M101, M102, Bx15

Contact

Principal
Jody Flowers

Other Details

Shared campus?
Yes
This school shares a building with PS 242
Metal detectors?
No

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