304 Campuses Now Live on the 2027-28 Common Online Charter School Application
NYC Families Can Easily Apply to Multiple Charter Schools At Once
(NEW YORK) – The New York City Charter School Center’s 2027-28 Common Online Charter School Application is now live! 304 campuses from all five boroughs are currently live on the site and accepting applications, with more added each week. This free resource is available in 10 different languages (English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Urdu, Bengali, Korean and Russian) and allows prospective students to apply to multiple charter schools with one simple application. Families are encouraged to submit their applications before the window closes on April 1, 2027.
The 2027-28 student recruitment season is already well underway, with hundreds of open house events offered by campuses in all five boroughs. The Charter Center’s Charter School Open House Calendar serves as a centralized list of these dates, times, and locations to help families visit and learn more.
“New York City students deserve to have choices in public education. Our goal is to make it as simple as possible for families to research and apply to public charter schools, so they can find the school that best meets their child’s needs and interests,” said James Merriman, Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Charter School Center. “The Common Online Charter School Application enables families across all five boroughs to explore hundreds of different public charter schools with one convenient tool.”
Every year, tens of thousands of families apply to NYC public charter schools using the free, simple Common Online Charter School Application. Of the 28,625 applications submitted for the 2026-2027 academic year:
- 64% were for schools in the Bronx
- 19% were for schools in Manhattan
- 12% were for schools in Brooklyn
- 4% were for schools in Queens
- 1% were for schools on Staten Island
- 19% came from applicants with IEPs
- 30% of the applicants self-identified as English Language Learners (ELLs)
With an estimated 152,000 students for 2026-27, charter schools now educate more than 16% of New York City’s public school student population. New York City has 286 charter schools across approximately 424 campuses in all five boroughs, including:
- 149 in the Bronx
- 133 in Brooklyn
- 77 in Manhattan
- 50 in Queens
- 10 in Staten Island
The Common Online Charter School Application, the Charter School Open House Calendar, and the Charter Center’s NYC Charter School FINDER provides families with direct access to ALL the information they need to make the best educational choice for their children. NOTE: The Common Charter School Application does not affect applications to district school programs.
For more information on New York City’s public charter schools and how to apply, please visit https://nyccharterschools.org/.
