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ST HOPE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL
New York, NY · EIN 261868368 · Form 990 · FY2023 · NTEE B29 · Education · Medium ($1M-$10M) · sthopeleadershipacademy.org
revenue
$4.9M
expenses
$4.8M
net assets
$5.1M
employees
51
volunteers
10
program ratio
84%
mission · from form 990

THE MISSION OF ST. HOPE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CHARTERED SCHOOL IS TO EDUCATE SELF MOLTIVATED, PRODUCTIVE, AND CRITICALLY THINKING LEADERS (SEE SCHEDULE O)

profile · synthesized from sources

St HOPE Leadership Academy Charter School is a free public charter school in Harlem, New York serving grades 6–8. The school focuses on college preparation, leadership development, and community engagement, offering a rigorous academic curriculum and extracurricular programs. It serves students from Harlem and surrounding areas, including the South Bronx, with transportation support and a commitment to individualized attention.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Alumni Scholarship Program
Provides three $10,000 scholarships annually to alumni to support college expenses
Athletics
Competitive sports teams in basketball, soccer, flag football, volleyball, and softball for boys and girls
Clubs and Activities
Extracurricular programs including debate team, robotics club, plant club, fishing club, and math club
High School and College Prep
Program offering college planning workshops, campus tours, and academic support to prepare scholars for high school and college success
Special Education Support Services
Program designed to support scholars with learning differences, with performance exceeding state averages in ELA and Math
activities · 10 groups

What they do

  • Local High School Scholarship Programs 1 activity
    • Award scholarships to graduating alumni
      The H.A.R.L.E.M. Scholarship program awards four $10,000 scholarships annually to graduating alumni, disbursed as $2,500 per year over four years directly to their educational institutions, contingent on maintaining good academic standing. In the prior year, alumni received $181,750 in scholarship funds.
  • College Preparatory Secondary Education 1 activity
    • Deliver college preparatory and leadership development programming
      The school offers a college preparatory curriculum with college readiness programming starting in 6th grade, including college campus tours, field trips led by alumni, and free college planning workshops. Students have opportunities to earn Regents credit and develop leadership skills through student government and mentoring programs.
  • Student-Led Community Service Programs 1 activity
    • Engage students in community service and civic initiatives
      Students participate in community service projects focused on breast cancer awareness, hunger relief, and human trafficking prevention. Leadership development is further supported through student government and Rising Leaders mentoring workshops.
  • Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs 1 activity
    • Foster school culture through restorative justice and character development
      The school integrates H.A.R.L.E.M. values into its educational framework and uses restorative justice practices to build community. It employs a student-centered approach that affirms identity and runs a student incentive program with simulated paychecks to promote responsibility and engagement.
  • School and School-Community Events 1 activity
    • Host family engagement events
      St HOPE hosts an annual Family Fair and other family engagement activities such as honor roll dinners and graduation ceremonies to strengthen school-family connections.
  • Interscholastic and Inclusive School Sports Programs 1 activity
    • Offer extracurricular clubs and competitive athletics
      Students can participate in extracurricular clubs such as debate, robotics, math, fishing, and plant club, as well as competitive sports including boys and girls basketball, soccer, flag football, volleyball, and softball. The flag football team qualified for playoffs in 2025.
  • Charter School Operations 1 activity
    • Operate a tuition-free public charter middle school
      St HOPE Leadership Academy operates a tuition-free public charter school serving students in grades 6, 7, and 8 in Central Harlem, with year-round admissions and transfer student enrollment options. The school provides free door-to-door bus transportation for students from the South Bronx and offers MetroCards to those relying on public transit.
  • Individualized Academic Support 1 activity
    • Provide academic support and differentiated instruction
      St HOPE implements differentiated instruction and intensive academic interventions to develop critical thinking and real-world learning skills, using a standards-based grading system focused on mastery. One-on-one academic support is available during after-school and lunch periods.
  • Language Access Services 1 activity
    • Provide language access services
      Spanish translation assistance is provided during the registration process for accepted students to ensure accessibility for Spanish-speaking families.
  • Alumni Leadership and Career Support Programs 1 activity
    • Support alumni post-graduation
      The school maintains ongoing relationships with alumni after graduation, offering post-secondary support including assistance with scholarship applications, life and career decision-making, social events, and college planning workshops.
financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$4.85M
Contributions & grants$309K6%
Program service revenue$4.54M94%
Investment income$3K0%
Other revenue$73
expenses
Total expenses$4.76M
Program expenses84%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$3.33M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$5.55M
Cash$1.63M
Investments$2.98M
Liabilities$416K
Net assets$5.13M
Liquid reserves11.6 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue -18.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023

Who runs it

paid leadership · 6
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
MEGHANN PERSENAIRE HEAD OF SCHOOL 40 $250K
MARJORIE PRAT ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL 40 $170K
KARINA PEREZ DIRECTOR OF STUDENT AFFAIRS 40 $160K
KATHY MARSEILLE DIRECTOR OF SCHOLAR SUPPORT 40 $145K
VIVIAN LEE BUSINESS MANAGER 40 $130K
JOSHUA GREENSPAN INSTRUCTIONAL COACH 40 $124K
board members · 10
  • ANKUR DALAL — PRESIDENT
  • ARUN YANG — TRUSTEE
  • ELIZABETH PERNICK — TRUSTEE
  • GABRIELLE APOLLON — VICE PRESIDENT
  • JENNIFER NG — TRUSTEE
  • KATIE EMBREE — TRUSTEE
  • KRISTOPHER JOHN — TRUSTEE
  • MAUREEN HIGGINS — TREASURER
  • MIRLANDE JOACHIM — TRUSTEE
  • SALONE KAPUR — SECRETARY
relationships · 9

Who they work with

  • CUNY Network — Recognizes CUNY schools as eligible institutions for scholarship recipients.
  • Democracy Prep Partner — Receives transfer students from Democracy Prep when families seek a smaller, more individualized educational setting.
  • Harlem Grown Partner — Collaborates with Harlem Grown to provide students with experiential learning opportunities in gardening and healthy food preparation.
  • Harlem Grown Partner — Community partner where students volunteer at a neighboring urban farm.
  • New York State Government — Operates as a New York State charter school, authorized to enroll students citywide.
  • SUNY Network — Recognizes SUNY schools as eligible institutions for scholarship recipients.
  • School Mint Partner — Used for application and enrollment processing.
  • Success Academy Partner — Receives transfer students from Success Academy when families seek a smaller, more individualized educational setting.
  • Yamel Gonzalez Partner — Staff member providing enrollment support for families.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Character-First Education
    methodology: character_first_education
    By prioritizing character development as a foundation, the school produces academic achievement and student success because strong moral and behavioral habits enable readiness to learn and engage in rigorous academics.
  • Early College Readiness with Long-Term Support
    methodology: early_college_readiness
    By introducing college preparation in 6th grade and supporting alumni through renewable financial aid tied to academic progress, the school increases college persistence because early exposure and sustained investment reinforce a college-going identity and remove financial barriers.
  • Personalized Learning Through Small-Scale, Single-Site Model
    methodology: small_school_model
    By operating as a small, single-site middle school with individualized attention and differentiated instruction, the school improves engagement and mastery because close relationships and tailored teaching respond effectively to adolescent developmental needs.
  • Restorative Justice for Community Building
    methodology: restorative_justice
    By using restorative justice practices instead of punitive discipline, the school strengthens student relationships and fosters a supportive environment because inclusive conflict resolution builds trust, accountability, and belonging.