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Our Campuses

Our Campuses | The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School

The Equity Project (TEP) is a free New York City public charter school serving students in Kindergarten through 8th grade in the Washington Heights and Inwood communities. Students progress across three purpose-built campuses that align with key developmental stages, supporting both academic growth and social-emotional development from the earliest years of schooling through middle school. Throughout this journey, TEP provides the highest-quality educators, a strong, positive school culture, and a seamless learning experience that allows students to build skills, confidence, and relationships over time as they advance from one campus to the next.

One school, three campuses

TEP’s program is intentionally designed across three distinct campuses that support students at each key developmental stage: Early Childhood (K–1), Elementary (2–4), and Middle School (5–8). Each campus is purpose-built to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of students at that phase of growth, providing age-appropriate learning environments and supports. While every campus has its own facility, leadership team, and daily routines, they are united by a shared academic model built around outstanding teachers. Students experience a consistently positive school culture, and a deep commitment to the 3A’s: Academics, Arts, and Athletics. This alignment ensures that as students move from one campus to the next, they experience continuity in expectations, instructional quality, and opportunities for intellectual, creative, and physical development.

Explore our campuses

Early Childhood (Grades K–1)
  • Foundational reading, writing, and math in a warm, nurturing environment
  • Strong focus on social-emotional development and classroom routines
  • Daily access to arts, movement, and whole-child learning experiences
Explore Early Childhood
Elementary School (Grades 2–4)
  • Transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” across subjects
  • Rigorous, structured math instruction that builds problem-solving skills
  • Growing independence supported by a close-knit school community
Explore Elementary School
Middle School (Grades 5–8)
  • High-expectations academics that prepare students for top high schools
  • Daily engagement in the 3A’s: Academics, Arts, and Athletics
  • Leadership, character development, and strong student-teacher relationships
Explore Middle School

What Students Experience at TEP

Curriculum built for mastery

TEP’s curriculum is designed to build deep understanding and strong academic foundations, with a strong emphasis on rigor, coherence, and meaningful support for all learners. Instruction is carefully sequenced across grade levels so that skills and knowledge build on one another over time, ensuring students master essential concepts while being appropriately challenged. Through high-quality materials, effective teaching practices, and targeted academic supports, TEP creates a learning environment where every student is equipped to grow, succeed, and develop confidence as a thinker and problem-solver.

Explore Our Curriculum

 

The 3A’s: Academics, Arts & Athletics

Students benefit from a whole-child educational model that intentionally integrates strong academics with daily arts instruction and physical activity and education. This balanced approach supports students’ intellectual growth while also nurturing creativity, self-expression, and overall wellness. By engaging the mind and body together, TEP helps students develop not only academic skills, but also confidence, resilience, and healthy habits that contribute to their long-term success both in and out of the classroom.

Academics, Arts & Athletics

 

Student life & community

From classroom culture to family engagement and a wide range of enrichment opportunities, TEP fosters a supportive and inclusive community that places relationships at the center of student success. Teachers, grade-level social workers, staff, and families work in partnership to create an environment where every child is known as an individual, challenged to reach high expectations, and celebrated for their growth and achievements. This strong sense of belonging helps students feel safe, motivated, and confident as they learn and develop.

Student Life at TEP

The Innovation Behind TEP

TEP was founded on a bold and ambitious vision: to reimagine what is possible in public education by investing deeply in teachers and intentionally designing a school for long-term student success. The TEP model is built to provide students with the best teachers, ensuring that students experience rigorous academics, a strong and consistent school culture, and full access to the 3A’s—Academics, Arts, and Athletics—year after year. Achieving this requires a clear and coherent instructional approach, a deep commitment to attracting, supporting, and retaining outstanding educators, and the creation of systems that promote stability, professional development, and continuous improvement. Together, these elements form the foundation of TEP’s approach and reflect the core ideas that drive the school’s mission and impact.

 

Our Vision

Learn how TEP’s mission and values guide everything from daily classroom instruction to the broader school culture, shaping how teachers teach, how students learn, and how the entire community works together. These guiding principles influence academic expectations, relationships, and decision-making across the school, ensuring a consistent focus on excellence, equity, and student success.

Explore Our Vision

 

Teacher Equity

TEP’s revolutionary compensation and career model is designed to attract, develop, and retain exceptional educators by offering a groundbreaking annual salary of $140,000, the opportunity for annual performance-based bonuses, participation in meaningful whole-school service roles, and meaningful opportunities for professional development. This innovative approach supports teachers in building long-term careers in the classroom, encourages continuous development of instructional excellence, and helps ensure that students benefit from experienced, highly effective educators year after year.

Teacher Equity at TEP

 

Financial Model

Our innovative financial approach ensures long-term sustainability while prioritizing meaningful investment in teaching and learning. By carefully allocating resources to support instructional quality, professional development, and student programs, TEP is able to maintain strong schools, retain excellent educators, and continually improve the educational experience for all students.

Our Financial Model

Results & Outcomes

TEP’s approach is producing strong academic results while also driving meaningful and lasting outcomes for students by equipping them with the skills, support, and opportunities they need to succeed both in school and in their future educational and career paths. Through a rigorous curriculum, dedicated educators, and a supportive school environment, students build the knowledge, habits, and confidence necessary to thrive as learners and as individuals over the long term.

Learn more about student achievement, growth, and the overall impact of TEP’s model, including how students progress academically, how the school supports continuous improvement, and how these results reflect the strength of TEP’s educational approach.

Explore Impact & Outcomes

How Enrollment Works

TEP is a free New York City public charter school open to all eligible students. Families apply through a simple online application, and when the number of applicants exceeds the number of available seats, admissions are determined through a fair and transparent lottery process.

Eligibility requirements and application steps are the same for all campuses and grade levels, ensuring that every family follows the same process and has equal access to apply, regardless of which school site or grade they are seeking.

Learn how to apply

FAQs About Charter Schools & Applying to TEP

TEP serves students in Kindergarten through 8th grade in New York City, offering a continuous and cohesive academic program that supports children from early childhood through the middle school years. This K–8 model allows students to grow within one consistent educational community, building strong academic foundations, relationships, and skills as they progress from their earliest years of schooling through adolescence.

TEP has three campuses that are intentionally organized to support students at each stage of their academic and developmental growth:

  • Early Childhood Campus (Grades K–1)
  • Elementary School Campus (Grades 2–4)
  • Middle School Campus (Grades 5–8)

A charter school is a public school that is tuition-free and open to all eligible students, providing families with an additional public education option. Charter schools operate independently of traditional school districts, which allows them greater flexibility in curriculum design, scheduling, and school operations, while still being held accountable for meeting high academic and organizational standards. When the number of applications exceeds the number of available seats, students are admitted through a fair and transparent lottery process, ensuring equal access for all applicants.

Yes. TEP is a free New York City public charter school, open to all eligible students and available to families across the city. As a public school, it does not charge tuition and provides equal access regardless of background, ensuring that every child who meets eligibility requirements has the opportunity to apply and be considered for enrollment.

As a public charter school, TEP is open to all New York City students and is committed to providing equal access to education for every family. Admission is not based on disability, race, creed, gender, national origin, religion, ancestry, athletic ability, or academic achievement, ensuring a fair and inclusive process that welcomes students from all backgrounds.

Families submit an online application as the first step in the admissions process. When the number of applicants exceeds the number of available seats, TEP conducts a fair and transparent lottery to determine which students are offered admission and which students are placed on a waitlist, ensuring that all applicants have an equal opportunity to enroll.

Applicants are assigned a random number and ranked in order as part of the lottery process. Seats are then offered following this order, in accordance with a published and transparent admissions policy that includes sibling preference, preference for students who live in Community School District 6, and any other legally required enrollment priorities established by charter school law and TEP’s charter.

Yes. Preference is given to siblings of currently enrolled students and to students who live in New York City Community School District 6, in accordance with TEP’s charter and its published lottery policy. These priorities are applied consistently and transparently as part of the admissions process, in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Yes. Once a student is admitted to TEP, they are guaranteed a seat in subsequent grade levels through 8th grade, as long as they remain enrolled and in good standing. This ensures continuity for families and allows students to progress through the full K–8 program without needing to reapply each year.

Most seats at TEP are filled through the Kindergarten lottery, which serves as the primary entry point into the school. However, if seats become available in other grade levels due to student attrition or class size changes, those openings are filled using the existing waitlist for that specific grade, following the same lottery order and admissions priorities.

Ready to Apply to TEP?

Learn more about our schools and start the enrollment process for your child today by exploring our campuses, academic programs, and community. Discover how TEP supports students at every stage of development and take the first step toward applying to join our K–8 public charter school.

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