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:

Use the Common Online Charter School Application to apply to multiple schools at once. Visit charternyc.org/apply-online
for details.

Visit each school’s website to download its application or apply online.

Stop by the school to pick up an application or call the school and ask staff to mail you an application.

* 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

Charter school student enrollment has grown by 8.5% over the last three school years, despite district school enrollment declining.

K-12 ENROLLMENT, CHARTER V. DISTRICT, 2019-20 TO 2022-23

■ Charter ■ District ■ State

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