Learn more about the High-Quality Schools Fund, created by Robin Hood, NYC's largest poverty-fighting organization. Through the Fund, Robin Hood invested $14m to improve outcomes for students in under-funded, underperforming schools.
HIGH QUALITY SCHOOLS FUND
A BOLD INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION Putting Students on a Path to Economic Mobility
February 2026
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PAGES 5-8
LAUNCHING INNOVATIVE CHARTER SCHOOLS
PAGES 9-13
REDESIGNING DISTRICT SCHOOLS
PAGES 14-17
DISTRICT/CHARTER PARTNERSHIPS
PAGES 18-21
KEY INSIGHTS
PAGES 22-23
WHAT’S NEXT
PAGES 24-25
APPENDIX
PAGES 26-27
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2019, more than 200,000 children attended low-performing schools in New York City — schools where only one in five students were reading on grade level, graduation rates hovered around 50%, and fewer than 40% of students left high school prepared for college. These schools were concentrated in the city’s highest-poverty, most under-resourced neighborhoods. To confront these inequities, Robin Hood launched the $14 million High-Quality Schools Fund (HQSF), a bold philanthropic initiative designed to expand access to excellent schools. The goal was simple but urgent: to give more students access to schools that deliver rigorous academics, support social and emotional development, and put young people on a path to economic mobility.
High-quality schools are one of the most effective tools for creating upward economic mobility. Students who graduate from high school and go on to college can expect to earn hundreds of thousands more over their life- times. They are more likely to be employed, healthy, and civically engaged, and less likely to live in poverty. Investing in excellent schools is not just about education; it’s about equity, opportunity, and lasting change.
The HQSF pursued a three-pronged strategy: (1) launch new charter schools, (2) redesign existing district schools, and (3) support sector-wide learning through district-charter partnerships. Each investment was designed both to serve students directly and to inform broader research and practice through evaluations from Columbia University’s Center for Public Research and Leadership and the RAND Corporation.
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Hybger
High Quality School Fund Strategies
$0.9 Million Evaluation
Over six years , the HQSF made bold bets to improve student outcomes by:
Partnering with NYC Public Schools (NYCPS) to redesign 20 district schools as academically enhanced community schools.
$1.2 Million District-Charter Partnerships
Helping to launch 16 new charter schools.
$5.9 Million New Charter Schools
$6.1 Million Redesign District Schools
Today, these 36 schools serve more than 10,000 students .
Investing in district-charter partnerships to spread effective practices and build instructional leadership capacity across public schools.
Although long-term outcomes will take time to fully measure, early signs point to stronger school leadership, more coherent instruction, and deeper family engagement. These schools are serving as models that are beginning to shape the future of public education in New York City.
Budget
Number of schoolss
Redesigning District Schools
$6,125,832
20
Launching Innovative New Charter Schools
$5,919,215
16
District-Charter Partnerships
$1,057,003
Evaluation
$897,951
TOTAL GRANT-MAKING
$14,000,000
36
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Launching Innovative Charter Schools
Charter schools serve as vital incubators for educational innovation in New York City, offering the flexibility to design and implement models that address the diverse needs of students. Through the HQSF, Robin Hood helped launch 16 new charter schools across nine networks, which grew to serve more than 3,300 students during the 2023-24 school year and will educate 7,200 students annually when they grow to full capacity. Our investments focused on: g Supporting newer and midsized charter organizations with an emphasis on serving multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and overage or under-credited young people, populations that have historically been left out of many charter school models. g Implementing evidence-based instructional models, including dual-language and bilingual programs, high-dosage tutoring, social-emotional learning integrated into academic time, and early college and career exposure. g Elevating leadership teams deeply connected to the communities they serve, including people of color, who lead 13 of the 16 schools. Early evidence affirms the promise of this strategy. Schools supported by the HQSF have established learning environments that are academically rigorous, equity focused, and grounded in strong community relationships.
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Key Findings: Charter Schools
“The strongest early gains we observed were in schools where leaders were trusted, instructional expectations were clear, and support systems were in place from day one.” — CPRL Evaluation Report
Because the HQSF supported the launch of new charter schools, most have only been operating for a few years, and many elementary schools do not yet have students in state testing grades. It is therefore too early to draw conclusions on academic outcomes. To understand early progress, we partnered with Columbia University’s Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) on an implementation study, which identified several key findings:
3.
Leadership pipelines drive equity:
1.
Targeted supports drive early progress.
The majority of schools were led by principals of color, many of whom had deep ties to the communities they served. These leaders were more likely to engage families in meaningful ways and prioritize inclusive practices, resulting in stronger school culture and higher levels of family trust.
Several HQSF-supported schools demonstrated promising gains in early literacy and math measures based on internal assessments and qualitative evaluation work. These gains were especially notable for multilingual learners and students with disabilities, two student groups that the HQSF intentionally prioritized.
4.
Innovation anchored in student needs:
2.
Founding conditions matter.
HQSF investments enabled schools to pilot new approaches, such as dual- language instruction, co-created after-school programming, and embedded social- emotional supports. These innovations were not generic. They were designed to respond to the needs of students historically underserved by the system. Where schools combined rigorous academics with these tailored supports, CPRL observed stronger instructional quality and more consistent student engagement.
Schools that benefited from a full planning year and strong alignment between organizational leadership and the founding principals showed the fastest progress in school culture, instruction, and family engagement.
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SPOTLIGHT Zeta Charter Schools
Zeta Charter Schools opened its first two schools in 2018 with a bold mission: Deliver rigorous academics and whole-child education to New York City’s most underserved students. In 2020, Robin Hood’s HQSF awarded Zeta a $650,000 grant to support the launch of two new elementary schools in the Bronx: Zeta Bronx Mount Eden and Zeta Bronx Tremont Park. The investment was targeted to special education-focused teacher training and professional learning, helping all teachers build capacity to meet students’ academic and social-emotional needs . Building Pathways from Elementary to College Readiness
Charter schools have long struggled to equitably serve students with disabilities. National studies show persistent gaps in enrollment and services for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), raising concerns about access and accountability across the sector. Robin Hood’s investment in Zeta aimed to help close those gaps — by backing a model in which special education wasn’t siloed but fully integrated into strong core instruction and ambitious student outcomes. That integration paid off. By 2023, 87% of students at both Zeta campuses were passing math and 76% were passing English language arts (ELA) on the NY State Exams. Students receiving special education services made notable gains: the share of students with IEPs meeting proficiency standards in math rose to 73% in 2023, far outpacing the average for students in NYC District Schools, where only 28% of students with disabilities were proficient in math.
math and 92% in ELA. Looking at students with IEPs, 88% passed math and 81% passed ELA (roughly three times the pass rates from the NYC District Schools on both accounts). The results, along with the strength of Zeta’s leadership and instructional systems, made a clear case for continued investment. In 2024, as the network prepared to grow its first two middle schools (opened in 2023), Robin Hood awarded a second HQSF grant to support the design of a rigorous, replicable middle school model grounded in academic challenge, real-world learning, and student voice. The network is now planning its next chapter: launch- ing its first high schools in 2026 to complete a full pre-K through 12 continuum. Today, Zeta serves more than 3,900 students across 11 schools. Nearly 90% are economically disadvantaged, 14% have IEPs, and 16% are multilingual learners. Robin Hood’s investment helped Zeta grow with purpose — proving it’s possible to deliver academic excellence without leaving high-need students behind.
“My daughter started the year behind in reading and lacking confidence. But thanks to Zeta’s teachers and their high expectations, she jumped six reading levels in a few months — and she’s now a whole grade ahead. More importantly, she’s proud of herself. She walks into rooms differently. Zeta didn’t just catch her up — they unlocked something in her.” — Zeta parent
By 2025, Zeta’s students were among the top perform- ers in New York City, with 95% achieving proficiency in
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New York City is home to one of the largest and most successful community schools initiatives in the country, serving over 173,000 students in 419 schools. By integrating academics with wraparound services like mental health care, connections to social services, and high-quality after-school programming, community schools have helped tens of thousands of students access supports that can bolster learning. While the model has improved attendance and shown promising — if early — gains in student achievement, our work with community schools was built on the belief that stronger academic strategies could unlock even greater results. Through the HQSF, Robin Hood partnered with NYCPS to pilot an enhanced version of the model: the Next Generation Community Schools. Over three years, Robin Hood worked with 20 elementary schools serving 7,000 students across the city. These schools combined the robust supports of community schools with enhanced academic strategies designed to accelerate learning. Redesigning District Schools The Next Generation Community Schools Pilot
Robin Hood’s HQSF prioritized: g Academic rigor through structured literacy and math enrichment, aligned with evidence-based practices. Key partners included Bank Street College of Education and the University of Michigan’s Youth Policy Lab, who implemented High 5s, a small-group math enrichment program for kindergarteners. g Instructional leadership by providing Relay Graduate School of Education monthly profes- sional development and coaching to principals, strengthening their ability to drive both social- emotional and academic improvements. g Family and community partnerships to boost attendance and engagement. Change Impact coached principals and community-based organization leaders to build shared leadership structures that improved alignment and school decision-making.
A formal evaluation of the pilot by the RAND Corporation is underway, examining how schools are implementing the Next-Generation Community Schools model. While results will take time, early observations are encouraging: School leaders are reporting stronger collaboration across roles, better use of instructional data, and greater integration between school-day and after-school programming. One principal described the professional develop- ment as “the most useful and actionable of my 21-year career.” The Next Generation Community Schools pilot is showing that with an intentional approach, it is possible to deepen the integration of social and academic supports to enhance instruction in a community school setting.
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SPOTLIGHT: P.S. 145 The Magnet School of Leadership Through Engineering
Brooklyn | District 32
P.S. 145K exemplified strong implementation of the Next Generation Community Schools pilot. Partnered with New York Edge as its lead community-based organization, and supported by coaching from Relay and Change Impact, the school strengthened both leadership and its connections between classroom learning and after-school programming.
The school became a model of collaborative leadership in practice between Principal Julia Hynes and Community School Director Erica Louis-Jean. They worked side by side to set priorities, support teachers, and build a culture of shared accountability. Staff feedback reflected the impact of this approach: 94% of teachers reported receiving support to use formative feedback from school leaders, and 94% also agreed that the principal actively supported them in applying professional learning in the classroom.
Students at P.S. 145K also posted encouraging aca- demic results. Across all grades, math proficiency rose from 35% in 2023-24 to 45.5% in 2024-25, and ELA proficiency climbed from 26.5% to 40.4%. P.S. 145K demonstrated that when school and commu- nity-based organization leaders work in true partner- ship, the Next Generation Community Schools model can deliver both stronger academics and improved engagement.
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District/Charter Partnerships Building Bridges Across Sectors From the outset, the HQSF sought to invest not only in individual schools but also in the conditions that allow great practices to spread. The district-charter partnership initiative was designed to strengthen instructional leadership and academic practice in historically underserved district schools. The strategy was grounded in collaboration: Charter networks with strong student outcomes would partner with community school districts to deliver hands-on professional development, grounded in shared values and research-backed practices. At the time of the launch of the project, we had a willing partner in the NYCPS Office of District-Charter Partnerships. Over three years, this work brought together educators from 10 NYC public school districts and three charter-affiliated institutions: Achievement First, Uncommon Schools, and Relay Graduate School of Education. Together, they delivered over 200 coaching sessions, professional learning workshops, and embedded trainings across content and leadership development areas. Highlights included: g Literacy: Uncommon Schools’ “Great Habits, Great Readers” model trained over 120 elementary teachers in three districts. After workshops, 95% of participants said the content was “highly actionable,” and more than 90% believed it would help improve student achievement. g Math: Achievement First’s “Math Stories” approach supported 45 district teachers in using real-world problem- solving to strengthen students’ conceptual understanding. In participating classrooms, internal assessments showed steady growth in students’ abilities to tackle multistep word problems. Teachers also reported greater confidence in planning lessons and using discussion-based strategies to build math reasoning. g Leadership: Relay delivered coaching and professional development sessions to over 100 teachers and leaders across four NYCPS districts. In 2022, 35 school and district leaders completed Relay’s coaching program, with 100% reporting that the sessions strengthened their leadership practice and helped center equity in their work.
Key Findings District/Charter Partnerships
Over 225 district teachers and 50 school leaders participated in sustained, content-specific professional learning.
2. 1.
Participating schools reported gains in instructional quality, more consistent use of student data, and increased collaboration among teachers and school leaders.
Despite these early indicators of promise, the effort ultimately faced institutional challenges. Leadership turnover at NYCPS during the 2022 mayoral transition and the disbanding of the District-Charter Partnerships Office disrupted momentum. Without a clear home for the work inside the school system, the model could not scale.
3.
Even so, the investments laid important groundwork. Lessons from this initiative helped shape Robin Hood’s Next Generation Community Schools pilot and continue to inform our broader leadership development strategy.
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SPOTLIGHT: P.S. 156 / Uncommon Schools
Brooklyn | District 19
As part of Robin Hood’s district-charter partnership initiative, Uncommon Schools worked closely with P.S. 156 to strengthen early literacy instruction. Over the course of the 2021-22 school year, Uncommon’s team led a series of workshops focused on foundational reading routines and provided embedded coaching to help teachers implement these practices in real time.
Results were encouraging: g 93% of participating teachers reported student growth in reading g 86% said the professional learning improved their own instruction
This kind of targeted, sustained support was one of the early signals that district-charter collaboration — when anchored in shared goals and real classroom work — can help improve student outcomes.
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KEY INSIGHTS g Strong, supported leadership was a consistent ingredient in schools making progress. Across charter and district settings, improvements in school culture, instructional coherence, and student engagement often coincided with well-supported principals and community school directors. In the Next Generation Community Schools pilot, joint leadership institutes and embedded coaching helped school leaders and community-based organization partners align around shared goals — laying the groundwork for stronger academic and attendance out- comes. At Ascend, a new K-1 charter in East New York, leaders designed a school model grounded in culturally responsive curriculum and responsive classroom practices. In just its first year, over 80% of families said they would recommend the school, and 89% of teachers said they felt valued and heard. Ascend also prioritized building strong instructional culture early: 95% of classrooms were rated proficient or better on internal observations — a foundation for long- term success. g Focusing on equity strengthens school design. Some of the most promising HQSF investments were intentionally designed with, and for, students historically underserved by the school system, including multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and those experiencing housing instability. When schools prioritized the needs of these students from the outset, they often built stronger family partnerships, more responsive supports, and a clearer sense of purpose. At Family Life Academy Charter Schools (FLACS), where 43% of students are multilingual learners — well above the citywide average (16.3%) — the network built a bilingual college counseling team, expanded access to early college coursework, and embedded targeted academic supports across its new high school. These design decisions gave students and families more personalized pathways to rigorous postsecondary opportunities while reinforcing a school culture that values inclusion and ambition. Across the HQSF portfolio, evaluation reports, student outcome data, and partner feedback surfaced three cross-cutting lessons that will continue to shape Robin Hood’s broader education strategy:
g Academic capacity support is essential to student success . HQSF investments consistently showed that strong instruction doesn’t happen by chance — it requires deliberate strategies and tailored technical assistance. Schools that made the most progress had a clear, evidence-based curriculum; regular use of formative assessments; professional development aligned with instructional priorities; and family engagement grounded in academics. For example, Zeta built teacher capacity around special education through targeted professional learning, leading to notable gains for students with IEPs. In community schools, High 5s math enrichment clubs and Relay-led leadership coaching equipped educators to better use data, align instruction, and support students. The takeaway: Innovation without infrastructure didn’t stick — lasting improvement required both.
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WHAT’S NEXT The HQSF is an example of how strategic philanthropy can catalyze new approaches in public education. It provided valuable lessons about how bold ideas, leadership support, and targeted investment can be combined to improve teaching and learning while advancing equity. Robin Hood is now building on those lessons to deepen and scale impact across New York City’s public schools. g Expanding leadership development through Relay: The HQSF reinforced that empowered, well-supported school leaders are the most consistent drivers of school improvement. That insight is now guiding Robin Hood’s significant investment in education leadership: a three-year, up to $15 million partnership with Relay Graduate School of Education to build instructional leadership across all 32 NYC community school districts (K-8). The model builds on what worked in HQSF’s Next Generation Community Schools pilot—embedded coaching, data-informed walk-throughs, and aligned professional development — and applies it at citywide scale. g Shaping the city’s literacy ecosystem: HQSF investments — both in charter schools and district redesign — tested ways to strengthen academic infrastructure, including high-quality literacy instruction, targeted tutoring, and family engagement strategies. That work informs Robin Hood’s investment in NYC Reads, a public-private initiative supporting professional learning, coaching, and implementation management across NYCPS. The aim is a well-defined, sustainable system that helps every student become a confident, capable reader.
g Advancing policy and sustainability: The Next Generation Community Schools pilot demonstrated that layering instructional support and academic alignment onto the community school model leads to stronger outcomes. Robin Hood is now working to secure public investment in these enhancements so that instructional leadership, enrichment programming, and meaningful family engagement are not just pilot features but essential components of all community schools. g Fueling continued charter innovation: The HQSF showed that midsized charter networks led by diverse, community-rooted leaders can launch responsive, equity-centered school models — when given time, flexibil- ity, and targeted support. Robin Hood will continue to invest in new designs that meet these criteria, with a focus on schools that prioritize multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and overage or under-credited students. The HQSF allowed schools to test new strategies to strengthen instructional approaches and improve the experi- ences of students, educators, and families. In doing so, it created a foundation of lessons and models that will guide Robin Hood’s education strategy in the years ahead.
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APPENDIX
Redesigning District Schools - Next Generation Community Schools
School Number
School Name
Borough Lead CBO Partner
Enrollment
01M140 P.S. 140 Nathan Straus 04M102 P.S. 102 Jacques Cartier 05M129 P.S. 129 John H. Finley 06M153 Adam Clayton Powell
Manhattan Center for Educational Innovation Manhattan Partnership with Children
366 248 219 399 321 371 372 350 605 428 221 261 308 275 283 336 312 618 338 448
Manhattan Fordham University
Launching Innovative New Charter Schools
Manhattan Boys & Girls Club of Harlem
09X058 P.S. 058
Bronx
Center for Supportive Schools, Inc. Center for Educational Innovation
School Year Launch
School Name
Borough Enrollment at opening
Estimated enrollment at capacity
Grade Level
09X132 P.S. 132 Garret A. Morgan Bronx 09X274 The New American Academy Bronx
Replications, Inc.
11X016 P.S. 016 Wakefield
Bronx
Creative Response to Conflict
2020-21 2020-21
Zeta Bronx Tremont Park Zeta Bronx Mount Eden
Bronx Bronx Bronx Bronx
68 60
1260 630
Elementary Elementary Elementary Elementary
11X078 P.S. 078 Anne Hutchinson Bronx
Child Development Center of the Mosholu-Montefiore Community Center
2021-22 Democracy Prep - Bronx Prep ES 2021-22 Democracy Prep - Endurance ES
41
12X134 P.S. 134 George F. Bristow Bronx
New York Edge
59
400 275 212 188 240
16K005 P.S. 5 Dr. Ronald McNair 16K627 Brighter Choice Community School
Brooklyn P2L Pathways to Leadership
2021-22 KIPP - Beyond
Manhattan 81 Manhattan 56
Middle
Brooklyn New York Edge
2021-22 Amber Charter Schools - Inwood
Elementary
2021-22 Amber Charter Schools - Kingsbridge Bronx
44
Middle Middle
17K161
P.S. 161 The Crown
Brooklyn Triad Brooklyn City Year
2022-23 Ascend - Cypress Hills Ascend Middle School (CHAMS) 2022-23 Ascend - Flatbush Ascend Middle School (FAMS) 2022-23 DREAM - Highbridge Elementary School 2023-24 DREAM - Highbridge Middle School
Brooklyn 58
18K268 P.S. 268 Emma Lazarus 19K273 P.S. 273 Wortman
Brooklyn Center for Educational Innovation
Brooklyn 57
240
Middle
21K329 P.S. 329 Surfside
Brooklyn Triad
23K178 P.S. 178 Saint Clair Mckelway Brooklyn New York Edge
Bronx
51
522
Elementary
27Q043 P.S. 043
Queens
CSI
31R018 P.S. 018 John G. Whittier 32K145 P.S. 145 Andrew Jackson
Staten Island United Activities Unlimited
Bronx
87
261 360
Middle
Brooklyn New York Edge
2022-23 Beginning with Children 2 / Community HS
Brooklyn 90
High school
Implementation Partners Bank Street College of Education Change Impact Fund for NYC Public Schools NYC Public Schools - Office of Community Schools RAND Corporation Relay Graduate School of Education University of Michigan
2022-23 Family Life Academy Charter School IV Bronx
101 150
400 900 450 900
High school
2023-24 Zeta Bronx Middle School 2023-24 Zeta Manhattan Middle School 2024-25 Central Queens Academy
Bronx
Middle Middle
Manhattan 150
Queens
200
Elementary
District/Charter Partnerships
Achievement First Relay Graduate School for Education Uncommon Schools
Evaluation
Columbia Center for Public Research and Leadership
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January 2026
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