BACK TO SCHOOL: MORE THAN 15% OF ALL NYC PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE ATTENDING CHARTER SCHOOLS FOR THE 2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR
Nearly 430 charter school campuses prepare to welcome 150,500 students back to school
Approx. 60% of NYC Charter Schools Open their Doors Ahead of District Schools, Offering Additional Instructional Time
(NEW YORK) – While New York City’s students wrap up their summers, the city’s dedicated charter school leaders and teachers are hard at work preparing to welcome an estimated 150,500 students – 15.2% of all NYC public school students – back to school at the end of the month, a 1% increase in enrollment over the last year. Four new schools are opening their doors this year, bringing the total number of public charter schools to 285 across approximately 430 campuses in all five boroughs.
While district schools won’t begin until after Labor Day, approximately 60% of the city’s charter campuses will open in mid- to late August, offering additional instructional time as students catch up from summer break.
For the first time this year, students and families have access to the NYC Charter School FINDER, a virtual directory that serves as a definitive catalogue of the city’s approximately 430 campuses in all five boroughs. The expansive database can be used to search for campuses based on criteria including grade level, borough, neighborhood, and/or Community School District (CSD).
“NYC’s charter schools play a vital role in our City’s public education system,” said James Merriman, Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Charter School Center. “Families appreciate having the ability to choose the public school that best meets their child’s needs, and more than 25 years in, charter schools are more popular than ever. With the NYC Charter School FINDER coming online, finding the right charter school is easier than ever.”
“Opening Haven Charter High School is the fulfillment of a dream we’ve had for years,” said Natalie Lozada, Executive Director of Haven Charter High School in the Bronx. “Our dream was to create a safe learning environment where we are committed to preparing young people for careers in healthcare while also supporting their social and emotional growth. Every decision—from curriculum choices and career training opportunities to classroom furniture and even the color of paint on the walls—has been made with our students’ needs in mind.”
NYC charter school enrollment and program trends:
- Enrollment in charter schools increase more than 6% since the 2022-23 school year
- 1 in 3 kindergarten students in the Bronx attends a public charter school
- 11.1% of all charter school students are Multilingual Learners.
- The City’s charter school sector now includes 51 schools with programs for students with autism or have more than 25% of students with IEPs for Special Education, 9 schools with dual language programs, 33 schools offering pre-K, and 7 schools serving single-sex student populations.
- More than 15% of all New York City public school students attend a charter school.
New York City has a total of 285 charter schools, including 5 new schools opening for the first time this year in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens:
- Haven Charter High School (Bronx)
- Math, Engineering, and Science Academy Charter High School 2 (Brooklyn)
- Zeta Charter School – New York City 5 (Queens)
- Zeta Charter School – New York City 7 (Queens)
- Zeta Charter School – New York City 8 (Queens)
