NEW YORK CITY CHARTER SCHOOLS TO SERVE MORE THAN 83,000 STUDENTS IN 2014-2015 SCHOOL YEAR; UP FROM 70,000 LAST YEAR
Fourteen New Charter Schools Will Open Their Doors to 2,200 Students; Existing Charter Schools are Adding 11,000 Students – Yet Parent Demand for Public Charter Schools Continues to Soar with Nearly 50,000 Students Stuck on Wait Lists
(New York, NY) Although 13,000 more students will be educated in a public charter school in 2014-15 than the last school year, the number of students stuck on a wait list hoping to get in to the public school of their choice remains unchanged at nearly 50,000, the New York City Charter School Center announced today.
Fourteen new charter schools will open their doors to 2,200 students, and an additional 11,000 incoming students will attend existing charter schools. Altogether, approximately 83,200 students across the five boroughs will learn at a charter school this year. The schools are located primarily in lower-income communities in the Bronx, Central Brooklyn, Upper Manhattan and Queens, where more high-quality public school options are needed most.
“Charter schools are working and that’s why parents want them,” said James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center. “While a record 80,000 thousand students will be in the charter of their choice this year, 50,000 students are still on wait lists. We are excited for the new charter schools opening up this year and the innovative approaches they are taking to support their students. We need to ensure that New York City’s artificial cap on charter schools is removed so that more of these schools can continue to open and provide high quality options to NYC’s students.”
Among the 14 new charter schools opening in 2014-2015:
- Eleven are associated with charter networks, including six Success Academy Charter Schools, two Achievement First Charter Schools, one Ascend Learning Charter School, one Public Prep Charter School and one Family Life Academy Charter School.
Three are independent, including: - American Dream Charter School, which will start with Grade 6 in the Bronx and offer a dual-language program in English and Spanish; a large part of its recruitment focused on Mexican-American immigrants.
- Brooklyn LAB Charter School, also starting with Grade 6, will promote “digital literacy,” with specialized classes in coding and robotics.
- Compass Charter School, in Brooklyn, will open with Grades K and 1; the co-founders are all educators who also co-founded The Odyssey Initiative and have traveled across the country meeting with teachers from 41 schools in 16 states to study best educational practices.
The following is a list of the 14 new charter schools that will open with 2,200 students this year:
Brooklyn
Achievement First Linden Elementary School
Achievement First North Brooklyn Prep Elementary School
Brooklyn LAB Charter School
Compass Charter School
Central Brooklyn Ascend Lower School
Success Academy Charter School – Bensonhurst
Success Academy Charter School – Bergen Beach
Bronx
Boys Prep Bronx Elementary School
Family Life Academy Charter School III
Success Academy Charter School – Bronx 4
American Dream Charter School
Manhattan
Success Academy Charter School – Washington Heights
Queens
Success Academy Charter School – Rosedale
Success Academy Charter School – Springfield Gardens
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