OVER 200 CHARTER SCHOOL CAMPUSES JOIN THE LAUNCH OF COMMON ONLINE APPLICATION FOR 2017-18 SCHOOL YEAR
An Estimated 27,000NYC Public Charter School Seats Available for 2017/18 School Year
NEW YORK – A record 212 charter school campuses in New York City will participate in today’s launch of the New York City Charter School Center’s Common Online Charter School Application for an estimated 27,000 charter seats available in the 2017-18 school year. The Common Online Application, available in 10 languages to improve accessibility for English language learners, allows families applying for district schools to simultaneously consider the charter school option. The Common Online Application period begins today, December 1, 2016, and ends April 1, 2017.
Demand for charter seats continues to increase. Although 15 new charter schools opened for the 2016-17 school year, 44,400 children – or two out of every three applicants last year – remain on waitlists. With only 30 new charters available to be approved for New York City under the cap, demand will continue to outpace supply without state action.
Currently, approximately 13 charters are slated to open for the 2017-18 school year and 82 existing charter schools will add more seats and more grades to serve students. An estimated 27,000 charter seats will be available for the 2017-18 school year.
Over 130,000 applications were received through the Common Online Charter School Application for the 25,000 seats available for the 2016-2017 school year.
In addition to English, the application is available in Spanish, French, Arabic, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Urdu, Bengali, Korean and Russian.
“With more charter schools than ever using the Common Online Charter School Application, parents will have the information and access they need to find the school that best meets their child’s needs,” said James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center. “We’re proud to provide a simple, accessible process for parents to explore high-quality charter school options.”
The 2017-2018 Common Online Charter School Application is available at: https://nyccharterschools.schoolmint.net.
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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.
