Starting a charter school requires a steadfast commitment of time and energy. The New York City Charter School Center allocates resources and provides services to guide people in the process. The process is very complex, and we broke down initial steps for starting a charter into the following:
1. Visit all three NY State Authorizer’s websites (NYC Department of Education, Charter Schools Institute (SUNY), New York State Education Department) to familiarize
yourself with the application processes and determine the timeline for applying
2. Read about basic NY State charter law and different school models
3. Assemble a high-capacity planning team with diverse skill sets
4. Develop a mission and vision for your charter school
5. Begin planning your charter school’s design, including areas of education, finance, facilities, legal, operations, and governance
6. Community outreach
7. Write your charter school application
For further information on starting a new charter school, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Charter School Authorizer Websites
| Authorizer | Website | Application Kit Link |
| The New York City Department of Education (DOE) | www.schools.nyc.gov | http://schools.nyc.gov/community/planning/charters/default.htm |
| New York State Department of Education (SED) | www.nysed.gov | http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/psc/startcharter.html |
| The State University of New York (SUNY) | www.suny.edu | http://www.suny.edu/sunypp/documents.cfm?doc_id=82 |
