Charter Schools in NYC
New York’s first charter school opened in Harlem in 1999. Since then, a generation of students have been educated by NYC’s 286 charter schools located across approximately 424 campuses in the five boroughs. Today, nearly 152,000 students–more than 16% of the city’s public school population–attend a public charter school.
194
charter schools featured a preference for ELLs in their 2026-27 admissions lotteries
19.6%
of students enrolled in charter schools have IEPs
53%
increase in ELL enrollment in the last five years
94
charter schools enroll a higher proportion of students with disabilities than the city-wide average
Building an Inclusive Education Mindset and Practice
Serving Students with Dyslexia
Focus on English Language Learners
“When a student is in the right place, when they come to school at a place that values them, that makes them feel safe, that meets their needs, that is the game changer… That’s the power of charter schools.”
Tim Castanza, Executive Director, Bridge Preparatory Charter School
