The School Reform Act of 1995 (SRA) requires applicants seeking to establish a new public charter school in DC to file a petition with DC PCSB, as the sole authorizer. This archive displays previously approved and denied charter school applications from 2011 through 2025.
The2026 Charter Application Guidelines describe the process by which DC PCSB will receive and evaluate new school applications. To be considered for approval, an applicant must meet, at a minimum, the standard “Need and Demand.” For more information regarding the charter application process, visit Start a Charter School. For questions, contact [email protected].
DC PCSB announces a new timeline for the 2026 New School Charter Application Cycle. Most importantly, we will shift the cycle to the fall while lengthening the planning year.
The following proposal was opened for public comment on May 20, 2019, and a public hearing was held on June 25, 2019. Based on the one public comment received from a school, DC Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) staff proposed a change to the technical guide’s calculation of the Days of Cash on Hand measure. Due to this change, staff held an additional public hearing on July 15, 2019 and extended the public comment period through July 30, 2019. DC PCSB received no additional public comment.