Start a Charter School

In September 2021, DC PCSB announced that it would not be accepting new school applicants in order to re-envision their evaluation in alignment with the Strategic Roadmap. Over the next year, DC worked to improve its process, culminating with the publication of the revised Charter Applications Guidelines. The application guidelines now better align with citywide need and raise the bar for excellent and equitable new school options. Learn more about our revision process here.

The School Reform Act (SRA) requires applicants seeking to establish a new public charter school in DC to file a petition with DC PCSB, as the sole authorizer in DC. The 2025 Charter Application Guidelines explain the process by which applicants submit their petitions and DC PCSB evaluates them.

In fall 2024, DC PCSB. staff strongly recommends that all interested founding groups contact [email protected] to schedule a meeting.

Components of the Application Review Process

Based on the following four components and the Standard for Approval, the DC PCSB Board will vote at a public meeting for one of three possible outcomes for each applicant group: approval with standard conditions, approval with standard and school-specific conditions, and denial. More information on the Standard for Approval and applicant decisions can be found in the guidelines. 

· Written applications should be submitted according to the Charter Application Guidelines. Each written application, with redactions, is made available on DC PCSB’s website for public access.

· Site visits to the operator’s existing school(s) will be scheduled for all eligible existing operator [EO] or school management organizations [SMO].

· Capacity interviews allow DC PCSB staff and Board members to ask founding group members a series of questions. Topics include the founding group’s ability to execute the plan as written; supports for students with disabilities (SWD), emerging multilingual learners (EML), and at-risk students; teacher recruitment and retention; demand for the proposed school; and weak or confusing areas of the application. Transcripts of the capacity interviews will be made public.

· Public hearings are opportunities for the Board and the public to hear from the founding group. The applicant may provide prepared comments no longer than five minutes, then the Board will question the applicant group about its application, planning process, or any other relevant topic. The public will also have the opportunity to give testimony about the application.

Timeline

The following timeline represents the external-facing events comprising the 2025 Charter Application Review Cycle. Please note that some dates have changed based on scheduling needs. Importantly, applications are now due by March 14, 2025 at 9 a.m. using this secure upload link. DC PCSB staff has notified prospective applicants of these updates, and they are reflected in the table below. All times are for Eastern Time (ET).