We are an independent DC government agency and the sole authorizer of public charter schools in our nation’s capital.  

DC PCSB is not enforcing the Attendance and Truancy Policy during the 2025–26 school year—meaning Notices of Concern related to attendance will not be issued during this period. This pause reflects our collective recognition that the current policy needs to be revised to better align with today’s realities. During this time, DC PCSB staff will be engaging school leaders, experts, and community members to redesign the policy. For more information, please contact Blair Daniel at [email protected].

At DC PCSB, we are committed to building and sustaining a quality portfolio of public charter schools. We hold schools to rigorous standards to ensure every student is prepared for success in college, career, and life.

Transparency is a cornerstone of our work. To support informed decision-making and public trust, we make extensive data available to families, educators, and community members. We also set clear, ambitious, and achievable accountability targets for all schools.

This page is your gateway to that data—explore, analyze, and learn more about DC's public charter schools.

Explore the evolution of DC’s public charter school sector—including where schools have opened, consolidated, and closed—since the first charters opened in 1996.

Explore the latest graduation rates for DC public charter schools. These rates reflect the percentage of students who began 9th grade and graduated within four or five years.

As one of the leading charter school authorizers in the nation, we maintain an unwavering commitment to quality and equity.  We are pioneering new strategies, tough and rigorous oversight and best practices that many public charter school boards around the nation are adopting.

Quickly access frequently used information and websites such as the Hub, previous Wednesday Bulletins, and more. 

DC PCSB is committed to transparency and accountability and is subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). 

Each DC public charter school is required to conduct annually a thorough audit of its finances and operations. Each audit is conducted by a third-party auditor, chosen by the school from a list of auditors approved by DC PCSB, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. DC PCSB analyzes and summarizes the information in these audits to produce the Financial Analysis Report - formerly referred to as the Financial Audit Review or study of fiscal audits - as a joint project with all three agencies, that present consistent and transparent information about DC public charter schools’ finances and operations.