Future Leaders Institute Charter School

Photo By Christopher Auger-Domínguez

Future Leaders Institute developed out of the vision of a small group of New York City public school teachers who had seen the best and worst that the public school system had to offer. These teachers decided to start their own public school in Harlem-a school designed to become one of the first high-expectation, high-performing schools in the community.

FLI’s founders quickly determined that they could achieve even greater success through the autonomy, flexibility and financial control provided by charter school status. On March 15^th, 2005, the New York State Board of Regents approved FLI’s founding charter and the school officially converted on July 1, 2005. FLI could now maintain stable class and school size, enroll students whose families endorse FLI's core values and programs, update the school curricula, recruit and retain exceptional teachers, and implement an extensive professional development program.

The resulting school, Future Leaders Institute, is dedicated to providing exceptional educational opportunities to students in Harlem. It offers an innovative, academically rigorous curriculum, a mandatory extended school day and year, and a broad array of enrichment opportunities. Students excel in this environment and outperform other Harlem students in combined reading and math test scores.