Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Logo
Massachusetts Charter Schools

Massachusetts Charter School Waitlist Updated Report for 2016-2017 (FY17)

As of October 1, 2016 (Posted December 2016)

Each spring, charter schools send the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) the number of students enrolled for the upcoming school year as well as the number of students who were placed on the schools' waitlists through each school's initial lottery, which is typically held in February or March. The Department's March 2016 waitlist collection included students who applied for admission for the 2016-2017 school year (the initial waitlist). The information provided below is an update to the initial waitlist data as of October 1, 2016. The information reflects late offers of admissions, which may result in acceptances or declines, as well as any new lotteries for seats that may have opened up over the summer and into the school year. Consistent with waitlist report updates in recent years, this year's update found approximately fourteen percent fewer total reported entries from March to October.

For the March 2016 initial waitlist, 741 out of 78 charter schools had waitlists for which they reported 44,250 entries, with 32,646 unique students identified. Of this student headcount, 23,601 unique students2 newly applied for admittance to at least one charter school for the 2016-2017 school year; the remaining 9,045 unique students applied for admittance prior to March 20143.

The information provided below reflects the number of students who applied to charter schools for the 2016-2017 school year (SY17), but did not gain admittance and were reported on a charter school waitlist as of October 1, 2016. This updated 2016-2017 waitlist report finds the following:

  • Of the 74 charter schools who submitted initial waitlist data in March 2016, 69 continued to maintain or had created a subsequent waitlist.
  • The updated charter school waitlists contained 37,902 entries on all waitlists, representing 29,791 unique students. Of this student headcount, 20,321 unique students4 newly applied for admittance to at least one charter school for the 2016-2017 school year; the remaining, 9,446 unique students3 applied for admittance prior to March 2014.
  • 25,341 students appear on a single waitlist and 4,450 (15 percent) appear on more than one waitlist.

Figure 1. Unique Number of Students on Charter School Waitlists

Number of Waitlists a Student Appears On Unique (Unduplicated) Number of Students on Charter School Waitlist(s) Waitlist Status
Unique (Unduplicated) Number of Students who Applied for Admittance and Were Waitlisted Prior to March 31, 2014 Unique (Unduplicated) Number of Students who Applied for Admittance for the 2016-2017 School Year and were Waitlisted
125,3419,44615,895
22,524242,500
31,05101,051
44280428
52160216
61190119
765065
827027
917017
10303
Total29,7919,47020,321

In 2014, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted regulations requiring charter schools to refresh their waitlists every year, based on the most recent application cycle. These regulations, however, allowed schools to keep students on their waitlists who submitted applications before March 31, 2014. As shown in Figure 2, 11 schools5 continue to include such students from prior years on their active waitlists. The table below (Fig. 2) also identifies charter schools that have held subsequent lotteries and the number of students who were added to these school waitlists.

Figure 2. Total Number of Applications Reported on Charter School Waitlists

School NameTypeTotal Number of Applicants Reported on Charter School WaitlistsWaitlist Status
Applicants Added to Waitlists Prior to March 31, 2014 Remaining Current Year Applicants (2016-2017) Added to Waitlists by March 15, 2016 Current Year Applicants (2016-2017) Added to Waitlists after March 15, 2016
Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public SchoolCommon wealth (CW)542542
Academy Of the Pacific Rim Charter Public SchoolCW457457
Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter SchoolCW307307
Alma del Mar Charter SchoolCW465465
Argosy Collegiate Charter SchoolCW892168
Atlantis Charter School†CW44244291107
Barnstable Community Horace Mann Charter Public SchoolHorace Mann (HM)99
Baystate Academy Charter Public SchoolCW114114
Benjamin Banneker Charter Public SchoolCW232232
Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public SchoolCW3443431
Bentley Academy Charter SchoolHM1515
Boston Collegiate Charter School†*CW1,9181,152766
Boston Day and Evening Academy Charter SchoolHM6464
Boston Green Academy Horace Mann Charter SchoolHM485485
Boston Preparatory Charter Public SchoolCW762762
Boston Renaissance Charter Public SchoolCW889889
Bridge Boston Charter School†CW1,7051,2694288
Brooke Charter SchoolCW2,2302,230
Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter SchoolCW173173
Christa McAuliffe Charter Public SchoolCW936528
Codman Academy Charter Public SchoolCW1,2471,247
Community Charter School of CambridgeCW31126150
Community Day Charter Public School - GatewayCW468468
Community Day Charter Public School - ProspectCW547547
Community Day Charter Public School - R Kingman WebsterCW476476
Conservatory Lab Charter SchoolCW296296
Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter SchoolHM738738
Edward M Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (Horace Mann)HM23522213
Excel Academy Charter SchoolCW582468114
Four Rivers Charter Public SchoolCW50491
Foxborough Regional Charter School†CW2,1541,679475
Francis W Parker Charter Essential SchoolCW6969
Global Learning Charter Public SchoolCW274274
Hampden Charter School of ScienceCW239239
Helen Y Davis Leadership Academy Charter Public SchoolCW1056738
Hill View Montessori Charter Public SchoolCW112112
Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public SchoolCW23621818
Holyoke Community Charter School†CW34113219712
Innovation Academy Charter School†CW2102713053
KIPP Academy Boston Charter SchoolCW487487
KIPP Academy Lynn Charter SchoolCW886886
Lawrence Family Development Charter School†CW550363187
Lowell Community Charter Public SchoolCW241241
Marblehead Community Charter Public SchoolCW16014812
Martha's Vineyard Charter SchoolCW1010
Martin Luther King Jr Charter School of Excellence†CW110285131
MATCH Charter Public SchoolCW1,7841,784
Mystic Valley Regional Charter School†CW3,5972,5571,040
Neighborhood House Charter SchoolCW81780215
New Heights Charter School of BrocktonCW172172
Pioneer Charter School of ScienceCW733444289
Pioneer Charter School of Science II (PCSS-II)CW27617997
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter SchoolCW1098029
Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public SchoolCW216216
Prospect Hill Academy Charter SchoolCW59952970
Rising Tide Charter Public SchoolCW251251
River Valley Charter School†CW617469148
Roxbury Preparatory Charter SchoolCW1058520
Sabis International Charter School†CW2,6402,314326
Salem Academy Charter SchoolCW20218616
Seven Hills Charter Public SchoolCW443325118
Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter SchoolHM5555
Sizer School: A North Central Charter Essential SchoolCW6969
South Shore Charter Public SchoolCW767767
Springfield Preparatory Charter SchoolCW18213547
Sturgis Charter Public SchoolCW511511
UP Academy Charter School of BostonHM4646
UP Academy Charter School of DorchesterHM1,1731,050123
Veritas Preparatory Charter SchoolCW6969
Commonwealth (CW) Subtotal 35,08210,03423,5651,483
Horace Mann (HM) Subtotal 2,82002,559261
Grand Total 37,90210,03426,1241,744

Please note that the total number represents every student record found on each charter school's submitted waitlist update.

†These 11 schools have indicated to the Department that they included waitlist information established prior to March 31, 2014 in accordance to 603 CMR 1.05(10)(a).

* Please Note that the Department incorrectly reported the SY17 initial waitlist for Boston Collegiate Charter School by failing to identify the number of applicants added to their waitlist prior to March 31, 2014. This report includes the identification of the number of students added to their waitlist prior to March 31, 2014 as well as updates submitted by the school.

The year's reports, for both the initial and update, are the byproduct of additional Department support and technical assistance to the field, reflecting the Department's ongoing effort to increase the timeliness and accuracy of charter school waitlist reports. Each charter school is responsible for maintaining its own individual waitlist. To ensure uniformity, the Department created a waitlist collection template and required charter schools to use it to update waitlist data that was originally submitted by March 15, 2016, as well as input any new waitlist data. This template embedded tools that automatically flagged duplicate records, allowing schools to remove duplicates before submitting its waitlist. In order to verify student information and address overall waitlist accuracy, the Department checked each charter school waitlist for transcription errors and inconsistencies. The charter schools then had to address any concerns or errors identified and resubmit waitlists. Additionally, charter schools that self-identified as using waitlists established prior to March 31, 2014, as permitted by 603 CMR 1.05(10)(a), were required to update the identification of each individual student who was included in those earlier waitlists. Finally, the Department implemented changes to its matching process in order to increase accuracy for identifying students who applied for admission to more than one charter school.

The Department has made significant improvements over the years in quantifying the exact number of students who may be actively waiting for admission to a charter school. The unique waitlist counts provided in this current report should be taken as the Department's best understanding and representation of the updated demand for the current 2016-2017 school year rather than exact numbers of students willing to accept offers at each school.

The Department thanks all of the charter school administrators and staff who worked diligently to report their waitlists as accurately and as promptly as possible.

The appendix to this report can be found in the attached Excel file, which contains updated numbers based on an October 1, 2016 data collection:

  1. the unique numbers of students on waitlists;
  2. the total number of pre-March 2014 applicants, remaining current year applicants reported on charter school waitlists by March 15, 2016, and current year applicants reported on charter school waitlists after March 15, 2016;
  3. the unique number of students on waitlists by grade;
  4. the unique number of students on waitlists by city/town;
  5. the total number of students on waitlists for each charter school by grade (with backfilling overlay);
  6. the total number of students on waitlists, by grade, for each charter school that includes pre-March 2014 applicants on their waitlist;
  7. the total number of students on waitlists for each charter school by city/town;
  8. the total number of students on waitlists for each city/town by charter school;
  9. the unique number of students on waitlists by city/town and grade;
  10. the total number of students on waitlists for each charter school by city/town by grade; and
  11. the total number of students on waitlists for each city/town by grade by charter school.

For more information on waitlist policy and procedures and the number of students found on previous cycles of charter school waitlists, see Charter Schools Enrollemnt website. For further information regarding this report, please contact Brenton Stewart or the Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign .

Attachment



1 The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted changes to the charter school regulations in March 2014 (see 603 CMR 1.05(10)(a)), which has affected how charter schools collect waitlist data. Under the amended regulations, charter schools maintain waitlists only for the school year for which students applied (i.e., carrying over student names from enrollment lotteries from one year to another is no longer permitted). However, charter schools were allowed to maintain any waitlists that were established prior to March 31, 2014 until such waitlists are exhausted, provided that such maintenance is clearly articulated in the school's enrollment policy approved by the Department.

2 The Department has worked with schools to identify the students who were placed on waitlists prior to March 31, 2014. This additional information now allows the Department to identify, for the first time, students who submitted applications for admittance in the current year. Note: Out of 23,601 newly applying students in 2016-17, 613 were added to new waitlists while still remaining on other school waitlists based on applications submitted prior to March 31, 2014.

3 Please note that the Department incorrectly reported the SY17 initial waitlist for Boston Collegiate Charter School by failing to identify the number of applicants added to their waitlist prior to March 31, 2014. This report includes the identification of the number of students added to their waitlist prior to March 31, 2014 as well as waitlist updates submitted by the school.

4 Please note: out of 20,321 new applying students in 2016-2017, waitlist updates indicate 588 were added to new waitlists while still remaining on other school waitlists based on applications submitted prior to March 31, 2014.

Last Updated: February 6, 2019

 
Contact Us

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149

Voice: (781) 338-3000
TTY: (800) 439-2370

Directions

Disclaimer: A reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.