Metro

Charter schools in demand despite City Hall disdain

Mayor de Blasio may have issues with Eva Moskowitz’s charter schools, but parents don’t.

New data show that the parents of 426 kids in Central Harlem — one out of every two eligible for kindergarten in the area — applied to get into her Success Academy schools this fall, the charter network said Friday.

In The Bronx, there were 17 applicants for every spot.

At Success Academy IV Middle School in Harlem — one of the three charters de Blasio blocked from moving into a public school building — the ratio of applicants to seats was an astonishing 21 to 1.

For all 25 Success Academy charter schools citywide, there were 14,485 “unique” applicants for 2,870 openings — a ratio of five requests for every availability.

The sky-high demand matched last year’s total, when 12,200 applicants applied for 2,266 spots.

A lottery was being held Friday to select the few fortunate winners.

Parents were going to be notified of the results next week — with about 80 percent getting rejection letters.

Gov. Cuomo and the Legislature passed a law this week as part of the state budget requiring the mayor to find space for the three charters he displaced earlier — Success Academy IV and new elementary schools in lower Manhattan and southeast Queens.

The law bars de Blasio from charging rent to charters that co-locate in public school buildings. The city must also either provide space for new charters, or pay their rent in private space.

“On the one hand, it’s incredibly gratifying to see the demand, but it’s also heartbreaking that we can’t make a dent in the wait list,” said Moskowitz, the founder and CEO of the Success system.

There was also a stampede to get into Success’ two new elementary schools in Jamaica, Queens and downtown Manhattan.

More than 1,400 applicants flooded Jamaica, where there’s only room for one out of nine kids trying to get in.

At the new Success charter inside Murry Bergtraum HS near City Hall, 900 kids applied for about 150 openings.

The City Council, meanwhile, called off a public hearing scheduled for Tuesday to examine the finances of charters.

Education Comittee Chairman Danie Dromm, a charter-school critic, planned to have opponents tee off on the mostly non-union schools.

He declined comment on the postponement.

But a source close to council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito confirmed that the hearing was delayed.

Insiders said de Blasio — whose powers over managing charter schools were clipped by Albany — is looking to avoid further confrontations with charter operators.

The insiders said the hearing could only have inflamed tensions.