BACK TO SCHOOL: NYC CHARTER SCHOOLS NOW SERVE 10% OF CITY STUDENTS
15 New Schools Open and More than 100 Expand for 2016-17 School Year
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Nearly 45,000 Students Remain Waitlisted
NEW YORK – New York City charter schools began the 2016-17 school year serving a record number 106,600 students—10% of the city’s public school population—the New York City Charter School Center announced today. There are now 216 charter schools open throughout the five boroughs. Fifteen new schools opened their doors this year and more than 100 schools added seats and grades to serve more students. A full list of facts about charter schools for the 2016-17 school year can be found here.
Despite this growth, nearly 45,000 children remain on charter school wait lists, as the number of applicants grew 4% over the previous year.
“New York City’s charter sector is now larger than all but one of New York State’s school districts,” said New York City Charter School Center CEO James Merriman. “With 15 new schools and thousands of new seats this year, charter leaders are working hard to meet the growing demand from local families. It’s time for the State to remove the arbitrary cap on charters, so that more students can have access to these high achieving schools.”
The 15 new charter schools will serve approximately 1,500 students in their first year. Among this year’s cohort:
Six schools are located in Brooklyn, including five in central Brooklyn neighborhoods, where parent demand for charters remains one of the highest;
Eleven schools are replicating successful school models, including Brooklyn Prospect Charter School – Downtown, which incorporates the International Baccalaureate (IB) program into its curriculum, and Bronx Charter School for Excellence 2, a replication of one of the highest achieving independent charters;
New York City Charter School of the Arts, which infuses the arts into all content areas of the curriculum; and
South Bronx Community Charter High School, a new charter high school whose leadership team spearheaded the city’s Expanded Success Initiative.
Brooklyn
Achievement First Voyager Charter School
Brooklyn Prospect Charter School Downtown
Collegiate Academy for Mathematics and Personal Awareness Charter School
Success Academy Charter School – Bed Stuy 3
Success Academy Charter School – Bushwick
Success Academy Charter School – Flatbush
Manhattan
Amber Charter School II
Capital Preparatory Harlem Charter School
New York City Charter School of the Arts
School in the Square Public Charter School
Bronx
Bronx Charter School for Excellence 2
South Bronx Community Charter High School
Queens
Growing Up Green Charter School 2
Success Academy Charter School – Far Rockaway
Success Academy Charter School – South Jamaica
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About the New York City Charter School Center
The New York City Charter School Center is an independent nonprofit committed to fostering an environment in which public charters can open and flourish, and, through their innovative approaches, provide models for improving all public schools. The Charter Center helps new charter schools get started, supports existing schools, and engages the charter school community around key issues. Learn more about the New York City Charter School Center at www.nyccharterschools.org.
About NYC’s Charter Schools
Charter schools are free, independently run public schools that are able to innovate in their classroom structures, curriculum, and teaching methods. In return, they’re held to higher standards of accountability. More than 90 percent of the City’s charter school students are African-American or Latino, and over 70 percent are from low-income families. There are 216 public charter schools serving over 106,000 students in all five boroughs for the 2016-2017 school year.
