South Bronx Early College Academy Charter School

The South Bronx Early College Academy Charter School was founded in 2015 by WHEDco, a community organization that provides affordable housing, support services, child care, pre-school, and after-school in the South Bronx.

The school is housed in a new building with a roof garden for science classes and for outdoor activities such as physical education, school founder Ric Campbell told Crain's New York Business. Students put on their own “news show” called Spartan News on YouTube, according to the school’s website.

The school works with New York University and Lehman College to provide a “unique hiring and teacher training model that gives students the benefit of personalized instruction from teams of experienced educators and teaching interns,” according to the WHEDco website.

WHEDco, as the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation is known, provides the middle school children “extended learning time, enrichment through the Bronx Music Heritage Center, and wrap-around support services for children,” according to the WHEDco website.

Most students enter the school with weak academic skills, and test scores in the school’s first years were below average. On the positive side, attendance was well above average.

Admissions: Lottery, with preference to children in District 8. Apply on the school's website. (Clara Hemphill, web reports, March 2019)