What are Charter Schools?
Charter schools are free public schools open to all students, including students with disabilities and multilingual learners. Charter schools are independent of the New York City Department of Education, which allows them the freedom to try new approaches, respond to community needs, and put student learning first. Public charter schools are held accountable for advancing student achievement; if they do not meet their goals, a charter school can be closed.
Families are encouraged to visit and learn more about charter schools. Check out the Open House Calendar to find events in your area.
Celebrating 25 years of NYC
charter schools
alumni
spotlight
“You can’t get ‘one size fits all’ and think that every child is going to be successful. That’s why the charter school movement is so important here in New York City.”
Geofrey Canada, President, Harlem Children’s Zone & Promise Academy Charter Schools
New York’s first charter school opened in Harlem in 1999. Since then, a generation of students have been educated by NYC’s 285 charter schools located across approximately 420 campuses in the five boroughs. Today, more than 15% of the city’s public school students attend a charter school.
NYC Charter School Student Proficiency
Public charter schools prepare students for college and careers. Charter school students continue to outperform their district counterparts on state exams.
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