TWO-DOZEN NEW PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS OPEN IN NYC FOR 2012-13 SCHOOL YEAR
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New Class of Charter Schools is the Second Largest Ever and Among Most Diverse to Open
(New York, NY, September 4, 2012) – New York City Charter School Center CEO James Merriman today congratulated 24 new public charter schools on successfully opening their doors for the first time. This is the second largest number of charter schools to open in a single year in New York City—in 2010, 27 began serving students. As of this school year, 159 charter schools will be serving more than 56,000 of New York City’s public school students.
This year’s class of new charters is among the most diverse in their missions. Of the 24 new schools:
- Nine are secondary schools that will grow to serve students in the high school grades – the highest number of these schools to open for one school year.
- Five are designed to target specific high need students, including English Language Learners and children with special needs. For example, 65% of students at Central Queens Academy Charter School are English Language Learners. And in the Bronx and Brooklyn, ROADS Charter School I and II are serving students who would otherwise attend the city’s District 79 for children with the most severe disabilities.
- Twelve new schools are replications of existing schools, showing a commitment from the state’s authorizers to expand highly successful programs to as many students as possible.
- Seventeen of the new schools are co-located with district and/or other charter schools.
“The breath and diversity of the 24 schools opening this fall shows that the charter model continues to evolve to meet the needs of many more children and their families in New York City,” said New York City Charter School Center CEO James Merriman. “We are able to expand the number of high quality options to an additional 7,600 children in this first year alone, which bodes well for the future of New York’s public schools.”
“ROADS Charter School I and II will be serving students between the ages of 15-17 and who have 0 to 11 school credits. We do give preference to students who have been in foster care, in the court system, temporary housing or have previously dropped out of school,” said Seth Litt, Principal of ROADS Charter High School in the Bronx. “Our student body might be considered to be an alternative population by some, but we look for the same outcome as every other school in New York—graduate great students who deserve a diploma and provide them with the opportunity to attend college.
The following is a list of the 24 new charter schools opening this year:
- Beginning with Children Charter School II
- Central Queens Academy Charter High School
- Children’s Aid College Prep Charter School
- Democracy Prep Endurance Middle School
- Explore Exceed Charter School
- Family Life Academy Charter School II
- Global Community Charter School
- Heketi Community Charter School
- Icahn Charter School 6
- KIPP NYC Washington Heights Academy Charter School
- Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School
- Manhattan Charter School II
- Mott Hall Charter School
- Neighborhood Charter School of Harlem
- New Dawn Charter High School
- New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science II
- New Visions Charter High School for the Humanities II
- ROADS Charter High School I
- ROADS Charter High School II
- Success Academy Bed-Stuy 2
- Success Academy Cobble Hill
- Success Academy Williamsburg
- Tech International Charter School
- Urban Dove Charter School
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About the New York City Charter School Center
The New York City Charter School Center is an independent non-profit 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 builds community support so that highly effective schools can flourish.
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 more than 75 percent are from low-income families. There are currently 159 public charter schools serving students in all five boroughs.
