NEW YORK (JTA) – The Hebrew Language Academy in Brooklyn was ranked 27th among the 150 charter schools in New York City by the city’s Charter School Center. Students at the academy, one of two Hebrew charter schools in New York City, outperformed state, city and district peers in the English language arts and math exams. The Hebrew Language Academy is among the most diverse schools in New York, according to the Hebrew Charter School Center: 46 percent of its students are children of color, 15 percent have special needs and 8 percent are English language learners. The K-6 school will expand over the next two years to go through eighth grade. Opened in 2009, the Brooklyn school was the first established by the Hebrew Charter School Center, a network funded by philanthropist Michael Steinhardt and others that now has seven schools, with another to open this fall in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The Hebrew Language Academy is the largest in the network. Hebrew charters are public schools – tuition free and open to all – but teach Hebrew language and also offer instruction about Israeli history and culture. Another Hebrew charter school network, Ben Gamla, launched in 2007 and operates several schools in South Florida.