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].

Find the results of lead testing at all DC Public Charter Schools.

When a parent/guardian or community member has a complaint against a school, it is essential that they first contact the individual charter school leader/principal and, if necessary, the school’s Board of Trustees, to address their concerns directly through the school’s established grievance process. Should the issue remain unresolved or inadequately addressed, the complainant can then reach out to DC PCSB. Our primary goal upon receiving such a complaint is to ensure that the school has (a) followed its own complaint process to address the person’s grievance, (b) remained in compliance with its charter agreement, and (c) not violated any applicable laws.

As part of our oversight efforts, we conduct an Annual Compliance Review to ensure public charter LEAs comply with applicable laws and charter requirements.

The purpose of the Qualitative Site Review (QSR) is to provide DC Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB), public charter school leaders, and other community members with qualitative evidence to complement the quantitative evidence gathered in the accountability framework and charter goal attainment to determine charter continuance at reviews. (The School Reform Act requires DC PCSB to conduct a charter review of each school at least every five years.)

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.

We review financial information to see how well schools balance their checkbooks. High-performing schools ensure they have sufficient finances for the year plus any contingencies. In cases of low-rated schools, the Board works closely with a school's leadership for an improvement plan that ensures solvency.

The DC Public Charter School Board is responsible for approving, modifying, or revoking a public charter school’s charter and proposed amendments.