Education

A good education is one of the surest pathways to economic mobility, but poverty hinders educational attainment. That’s why Robin Hood funds efforts to create higher-quality learning experiences for all students.

By the Numbers

450

K

NYC children live in poverty

906,248

K

Students in the NYC school system, the largest school district in the United States

1 in 8

NYC students (about 146,000) were homeless during the 2024-25 school year

Solutions We're Funding

Grantee Spotlight

NYC Public Schools' NextGen community schools are reimagining place-based learning that supports the whole child.

Learn More

NextGen Community Schools

Community Schools are designed to integrate academics, health and mental health services, expanded learning opportunities, and family support into the fabric of the school environment. This approach is proven to boost graduation rates, reduce chronic absenteeism, and help students matriculate to the next grade on time.

In an effort to fuel students’ journeys toward stability, Robin Hood invested $5.5 million to launch 20 new “Next Generation” Community Schools in NYC for the 2023-24 school year. Learn more about our grantees. 

2/8

Programs & Special Initiatives

In 2025, Robin Hood-funded K-12 programs supported 195,000 students and educators through charter schools, tutoring and academic support, and college prep programs; 8,900 teachers and leaders received training, professional development and coaching, and students in Robin Hood–supported charter schools significantly outperformed city averages, scoring nearly 20 points higher in English and more than 20 points in math. 

Early Childhood

The Early Childhood program targets our grantmaking to support mothers, infants, toddlers, and caregivers.

Early Childhood
Three students working on a school assignment at a desk.

School-Age Children

The School-Age program targets our grantmaking to support higher-quality learning experiences that prepare all students for success.

School-Age Children

Young Adults

The Young Adults program targets our grantmaking to help young New Yorkers achieve academic and employment success.

Young Adults
Two young students wearing headphones and working on laptop computers in a school setting.

Learning + Technology Fund

The Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund works to transform learning experiences so that all students can succeed in a digital world.

The Learning + Technology Fund

Policies We Support

Charter Schools

Increase access to charter schools to provide more options to families.

College Completion

 Increase college persistence and completion by scaling and expanding evidence-based programs like CUNY ASAP and CUNY ACE.

Quality Materials & Training

Ensure all schools use high-quality, culturally responsive, and evidence-based instructional materials and that all current and future teachers are trained to use these materials.

Career Opportunities

Expand work-based learning, early college, and dual enrollment opportunities to create a college and career readiness pipeline for all students, elementary school through college.

Computing Education

Train all future and current teachers to integrate computing education (computational thinking, computer science, AI) across the curriculum, including through the scaling up of Computing Integrated Teacher Education (CITE) at CUNY.