Our flagship school, Amistad Academy, opened in New Haven, CT, in 1999 to prove that urban students can achieve at the same high levels as their affluent suburban counterparts. In 2003, after consistently surpassing district averages and demonstrating that their students could achieve on par with their peers statewide, the founders of Amistad Academy created Achievement First, a separate non-profit organization charged with using Amistad Academy's knowledge and best practices to have a greater impact on urban education.

In 2005, under the leadership of New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, Achievement First was invited to expand to Brooklyn, NY. One of Chancellor Klein's core reform strategies was to locate high-performing public charter schools in New York's lowest-performing districts. Achievement First opened three schools in central Brooklyn: Achievement First Crown Heights Elementary and Middle Schools and Achievement First East New York Elementary School. The Brooklyn network continued to grow in 2006 with the opening of Achievement First Bushwick Elementary School and Achievement First Endeavor Middle School, followed in 2007 by Achievement First Bushwick Middle School and in 2008 by Achievement First Brownsville Elementary School. In 2009, the network added Achievement First Crown Heights High School and Achievement First East New York Middle School. Most recently, Achievement First Apollo Elementary School opened in 2010.

To view more detailed information about our individual New York schools, please click on the links to the right.