New York City charter schools are free, public schools open to all children, making them some of the most accessible public schools in the city. If the number of applicants to a charter school exceeds the number of available seats, then charter schools are legally required to conduct a random enrollment lottery to fill them.
How to submit an application
There are three easy ways to apply to a charter school:
for details.
* Based on SED enrollment data
141,000
public charter school students across all 5 boroughs
15%
of NYC public school students attend charter schools
57%
ELLs enrolled in NYC charter schools has grown citywide since the 2019-20 school year
CHARTER SCHOOL GROWTH IN NEW YORK CITY, 2019-2023
K-12 ENROLLMENT, CHARTER V. DISTRICT, 2019-20 TO 2022-23
DEMOGRAPHIC SUBGROUPS, DISTRICT VS. CHARTER, 2022-23
NYC charter schools serve more than double the percentage of Black students than their district counterparts. Charter school enrollment of Hispanic students and students with disabilities is the same or comparable to district schools.
Source: NYSED Data, 2022-23, K-12