Four New Charter Schools Open Their Doors For the First Time This School Year

This school year four new charter schools will open their doors for the first time ever as a DC public charter school, after applying and receiving approval from PCSB in 2012. 

• Sela PCS, located at 6015-17 Chillum Place, NE, is the District’s first Hebrew-English dual language immersion school  – joining French, Spanish and Chinese as dual language study options offered in DC public charter schools. Located in Ward 4, Sela seeks to equip students from across the city with the skills to be culturally multi-literate. It opens Monday August 26 with PK4 through 1st grade, and offers free before- and after-school programs for all students.  
• Somerset Prep DC PCS, located at 3301 Wheeler Road SE in Ward 8, is the first DC school opened by Florida’s Somerset Academy, Inc., a national non-profit charter school management organization, with Florida’s Academica providing educational support and services. Its mission is to offer an academically rigorous and engaging curriculum to middle and high school students. It opens Monday August 26 with grades 6 to 8.  “We are very excited for the opportunity to be here in DC and serving the youth of Ward 8,” says incoming Principal James A. Griffin. “Go Bulldogs!”
• Ingenuity Prep PCS, located at 4600 Livingston Road SE in Ward 8, opened August 14 to serve grades PK3 to Kindergarten.  With looping teams of content-specialized teachers and a blended learning model, the school's educational program – which will eventually go to 8th grade – prepares students for success in college and beyond as impactful civic leaders.  "We're aiming for our founding cohort of students to be the next generation of great DC civic leaders," said Head of School Aaron Cuny. "With this, we have an ambitious vision for the quality of education we'll provide our students, and we're excited to be working in partnership with our families to make that vision a reality."
• Community College Preparatory Academy PCS, located at 2405 Martin Luther King Avenue SE in Ward 8, is dedicated to providing the education and skills development that will empower and prepare under-credited adults for postsecondary education success, viable employment and lifelong learning. It will open September 16 with 150 adult students. "I am both pleased and encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive response that I have received from both community and Ward 8 leadership,” says founding Executive Director Connie Spinner. “Residents seem to view our mission as a very unique public response to the major workforce development challenge of adults in the Ward.”