New Wyandanch charter school seeks to make 'world-class' scholars

The Academy Charter School organization, which operates successful campuses in Hempstead and Uniondale, has scheduled a noon ribbon-cutting celebration Friday for students and parents at a new school recently opened in Wyandanch.

Wayne Haughton, executive director of the charter group, said in a phone interview that the Wyandanch academy currently is operating with 164 students in kindergarten through second grade, and has about 10 additional slots available for applicants. Classes there opened Sept. 6. 

Like other Academy campuses, the Wyandanch site provides an extended daily schedule from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., along with enriched studies such as a national math and technology program known as "Project Lead the Way." The school's staff consists of 14 teachers and 21 other employees. 

"We're doing our best to provide for the children and the community," Haughton said. 

Academy Charter School in Wyandanch is located in a former store at 248 Long Island Avenue, now retrofitted with classrooms, a cafeteria, and outside play area. The organization describes its mission as seeking "to create world-class competitive scholars who will learn today, lead tomorrow and serve the future."

Under state law, charter schools are run by independent boards, with reimbursements from local school districts based on the number of students drawn from the districts. Parents who have enrolled students at the Wyandanch, Uniondale and Hempstead branches of the Academy network, which is regional to Long Island, often say they are attracted by the organization's emphasis on academics. 

"Everything is going well," said Juanita Clark, who recently signed up her first-grader for classes at the Wyandanch site. "I appreciate the time that they dedicate to education."

Wyandanch's new charter school was approved in October by a committee of SUNY trustees authorized to grant charters. Like other new schools, it is authorized to expand to grades kindergarten through six within five years. 

Further expansion could come later. For example, Academy Charter's Hempstead campus began with primary grades in 2009, and has since grown into a full-fledged K-12 system with more than 1,700 students. 

Sponsors of the Academy charter network said their emphasis on extended instructional time has paid off in terms of achievement by students, most of whom live in communities where family incomes are modest.

To cite one example, 41% of 95 high school seniors who graduated at Academy's Hempstead campus in 2020 earned advanced Regents diplomas, reflecting completion of upper-level courses such as trigonometry and chemistry. That rate of advanced diplomas compares favorably with rates in some high schools operated by traditional school districts where Academy schools are located.

By John Hildebrand

john.hildebrand@newsday.com@johnhnewsday

John Hildebrand is Newsday's senior education writer and has covered school news and policy issues affecting Long Island for more than 40 years.