Growth & Demand

Public charter schools would not exist, let alone grow and thrive, without demand from families seeking high-quality public school choices. Since New York City’s first charter school opened in 1999, this educational option has grown to encompass 136 schools serving over 45,000 students—with at least that many more on waiting lists for available seats.

This page offers information about charter schools’ growth and demand, including the Charter Center’s annual estimates of citywide applications for charter schools’ random admissions lotteries.

State of the NYC Charter School Sector (2012)

What choices are charter schools providing? What are their results? Who are their students? And what is the outlook for charter schools' future? Read the Charter Center's new, data-rich report to find out.

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Parent Demand for NYC Charter Schools: Survey-Based Estimates (Spring 2011)
When charter schools receive more applications than available seats, they admit students by random lottery. Based on a spring survey after the lottery season, the Charter Center produced estimates of the number of applications and unique applicants for charter school enrollment in Fall 2011.
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Analysis of the Statewide Cap on Charter Schools (2009-10)
New York's statutory cap on charter schools was a key issue in the 2009-10 statewide debate over education policy, the state charter schools law, and New York's application for funding in the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) initiative.
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Parent Demand for NYC Charter Schools: Survey-Based Estimates (Spring 2010)
When charter schools receive more applications than available seats, they admit students by random lottery. Based on a spring survey after the lottery season, the Charter Center produced estimates of the number of applications and unique applicants for charter school enrollment in Fall 2010.
More »