Ascend Charter Schools

We are Brooklyn’s premier K–12 charter network, graduating high-achieving students with access to boundless choice in their futures, preparing them for college, career, and thriving lives.

Ascend's Next Chapter: A Renewed Commitment to Boundless Choice

For more than a decade, Ascend has stood at the forefront of educational excellence—one of Brooklyn’s largest and highest-performing K–12 charter networks. Today, Ascend serves more than 5,000 students across 17 schools in Brooklyn, supported by a dedicated team of over 800 educators and staff. Ascend has proven what is possible when rigorous academics meet joyful, equitable classrooms.

But the next decade demands something new.

The world our students will enter is transforming, driven by artificial intelligence, automation, green technology, and hybrid work. The next economy will reward creativity, adaptability, collaboration, and lifelong learning.

To prepare students not only to enter this world but to lead it, Ascend is reimagining the very purpose of school. Our mission is to redefine what it means for every graduate to have boundless choice—in college, in career, and in life.

“Ascend is intentional about building community. When we walk in, everyone belongs.” —Anastasia Sotillo, Ascend Parent

Ascend Values

Dreaming Audaciously

We are relentlessly bold.

We dream wild futures inspired by our students’ power and confidently act on our unwavering belief that together, we can bring these dreams to life.

Striving Joyfully

We are in love with learning.

We embody the hard work, dedication and tenacity that power our learning journey and believe that laughter, community, creativity and curiosity strengthen us along the way.

Partnering Collaboratively

We are in this together.

We thrive through strong relationships amongst our schools, our families and our communities, becoming stronger by learning from and with each other.

Centering Justice

We are committed to shaping a more equitable future.

We work endlessly to ensure an equitable and just education for our students that is rooted in anti-racism and advances equity in our schools and in our world.

Championing Belonging

We are a place for all people.

We treat every person with dignity and respect, celebrating the many unique identities that add beauty, authenticity, knowledge and depth to our community.

Our Programs

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism

Our students, families, teachers, and staff are united in the mission of equipping students with the knowledge, confidence, and character they need to succeed in college and beyond. A focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism (DEIA) is essential to achieving this mission and we seek to represent this commitment in all that we do.

We believe our staff members must be windows and mirrors for our students, reflecting both those who share our students’ backgrounds as well as individuals who have different life experiences. Regardless of background, our commitment is that every member of our team is aligned on the necessity and urgency of this work so that we are well positioned to provide students with rich, thoughtful, and rigorous learning experiences that honor, reflect, and celebrate all of our identities, develop agency, and foster independent thinking so that they can thrive on their own and engage the world as informed, responsible citizens. We serve all students within our community, regardless of need, and are committed to their academic success and social-emotional development. We recognize literacy as a critical element in fostering an anti-racist and equitable learning environment.