Which Schools are Under Review During the 2024-25 School Year? Public Charter School Reviews and Renewals

It's that time of year again—reviews and renewals will soon be underway. As part of the School Reform Act (SRA), the DC Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) is required to review the performance of each DC public charter school at least once every five years. After 15 years, every school must submit a renewal application to renew its charter for another 15 years. Here's what you need to know about how it all works.

What’s in a Charter Review?

Each charter review digs deep into a school’s performance, focusing on three key areas: 

  • Charter Goals and Academic Achievement
    Does the school live up to its mission? Is the school meeting the goals in its charter? DC PCSB evaluates how well the school has met the goals outlined in its charter. This includes looking at academic outcomes compared to statewide and sector-wide data and reviewing the school’s performance on the Qualitative Site Review (QSR). 
  • Legal and Regulatory Compliance
    How well does the school follow the rules? DC PCSB checks whether the school complies with various laws and policies including those pertaining to special education students, emerging multilingual learners, and procurement. The board ensures there are no serious violations. 
  • Fiscal Health and Economic Viability
    Is the school financially sound? DC PCSB examines the school’s financial statements, looking for any signs of fiscal mismanagement or deviation from generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). DC PCSB also assesses whether the school is economically viable. The SRA requires DC PCSB to revoke a school’s charter if there is a pattern of fiscal mismanagement or nonadherence to GAAP, or if a school is no longer economically viable. 

What are the Possible Outcomes of a Charter Review?

DC PCSB staff creates a preliminary review report for Board's consideration that assesses the specific areas. It includes a recommendation that the Board do one of the following:

  • Continue the charter;
  • Continue the charter with conditions; or
  • Initiate the charter revocation process.

After considering DC PCSB staff's preliminary review report and hearing from the school during a public board meeting, the DC PCSB Board votes on the school's charter continuance. 

The Review Process Unpacked

Here’s how the review timeline typically unfolds:

  1. Qualitative Site Review: DC PCSB staff conducts a thorough on-site review in the school year prior to the charter review. This includes visiting classrooms and reviewing work students have been assigned.
  2. Pre-Review Meeting: The school meets with DC PCSB staff to discuss the charter review process.
  3. Preliminary Report: DC PCSB staff provides a detailed report with a recommendation for its Board about the school’s continuance..
  4. School’s Response: The school gets a chance to correct factual errors in the report or submit a formal response.
  5. Board Decision: Finally, the DC PCSB Board votes on the school’s future. Depending on the school’s performance, the school’s charter may be continued, continued with conditions, or revoked. If the Board revokes a school’s charter, the school can appeal the decision.  

The following are a list of schools that will have a  review this school year:

5-Year Review

1. Capital Village PCS 

2. Girls Global PCS 

3. I Dream PCS 

4. Social Justice PCS 

5. Sojourner Truth PCS 

10-Year Review

1.  Children’s Guild PCS 

2. Kingsman PCS 

3. Monument PCS 

4. Washington Global PCS  

15-Year Renewal

No schools undergoing 15-year renewal

20-Year Review

1.  AppleTree PCS 

2. Bridges PCS 

3. Early Childhood PCS 

4. Hope Community PCS

5. Howard University Middle PCS 

6. MM Bethune PCS 

7. YouthBuild PCS 

25-Year Review

1. Capital City PCS

2. Cedar Tree PCS

3. IDEA PCS

4. Paul PCS

30-Year Review

No schools undergoing 30-year renewal

Stay tuned for more details on the reviews roll out. Learn more about the process here.