Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Logo
Massachusetts Charter Schools

Massachusetts Charter School Waitlist Updated Report for 2021-2022 (FY22)

As of October 1, 2021 (Posted January 2022)

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 2021 waitlist collection included students who applied for admission for the 2021-2022 school year (the initial waitlist).

The information provided below is an update to the initial (March 2021) waitlist data as of October 1, 2021. 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.

For the March 2021 initial waitlist, 70 out of 781 charter schools had waitlists for which they reported 32,183 entries, with 17,933 unique students identified. Of that student headcount, 17,440 unique students newly applied for admittance to at least one charter school for the 2021-2022 school year; the remaining 493 unique students applied for admittance prior to March 2014.2

The information provided below reflects the number of students who applied to charter schools for the 2021-2022 school year (FY22), but did not gain admittance and were reported on a charter school waitlist as of October 1, 2021. This updated 2021-2022 waitlist report finds the following:

  • Of the 70 charter schools who submitted initial waitlist data in March 2021, 67 continued to maintain a waitlist as of October 1, 2021.
  • The updated charter school waitlists contained 24,830 entries on all waitlists, representing 15,335 unique students.
    • Of the 15,335 unique students, 488 students remained on a waitlist who first applied for admittance prior to March 20143; this represents a decrease of 8,557 students over time when compared to number of pre-2014 applicants first identified on the 2016-17 initial waitlist report.
    • The remaining 14,847 unique students newly applied for admittance to at least one charter school for the 2021-2022 school year.
  • Of the unique students, 11,345 students appear on a single waitlist and 3,990 students (26.0 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 2020-2021 School Year and were Waitlisted
111,34548810,857
21,53101,531
31,19501,195
44670467
53070307
61920192
71540154
81150115
918018
10505
11404
13101
16101
Total15,33548814,847

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, 3 schools continue to include such students from prior years on their active waitlists. This charter school waitlist report update found that 8,867 student records were removed from the total March 2021 initial waitlist report. Charter schools reported that 22,828 student records remained on their waitlists as October 1, 2021, while an additional 1,514 student records were added to their waitlists after March 15, 2021. The table below (Figure 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 Name Type Total Number of Applicants Reported on Initial Waitlists as of March 15, 2021 Applicants Reported on Initial Waitlists that were Removed as of October 1, 2021 Remaining Applicants that were added to Waitlists prior to March 31, 2014 as of October 1, 2021 Remaining Applicants that were added to Waitlists by March 15, 2020 as of October 1, 2021 Applicants Added to Waitlists after March 15, 2020 as of October 1, 2021 Total Number of Applicants Reported on Updated Waitlists as of October 1, 2021
Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public SchoolCommon wealth
(CW)
49175416416
Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School*CW52845870777
Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter SchoolCW50473431431
Alma del Mar Charter SchoolCW42383340340
Argosy Collegiate Charter SchoolCW471136137173
Atlantis Charter School†CW3887233283152468
Baystate Academy Charter Public SchoolCW25141111
Benjamin Banneker Charter Public SchoolCW30094206206
Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public SchoolCW507118389389
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public SchoolCW3320133750
Boston Collegiate Charter School*CW1,2431081,1351,135
Boston Day and Evening Academy Charter SchoolHorace Mann
(HM)
7035352863
Boston Green Academy Horace Mann Charter SchoolHM31914617323196
Boston Preparatory Charter Public School*CW644111533533
Boston Renaissance Charter Public School*CW98255927927
Bridge Boston Charter SchoolCW1,544121,5321,532
Brooke Charter School*CW2,7525262,22652,231
Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter SchoolCW28021259259
Christa McAuliffe Charter Public SchoolCW302377
City on a Hill Charter Public SchoolCW1521520
Codman Academy Charter Public School*CW1,5104561,05421,056
Collegiate Charter School of LowellCW888266571
Community Charter School of CambridgeCW9091827
Community Day Charter Public School — GatewayCW60815593593
Community Day Charter Public School — ProspectCW60827581581
Community Day Charter Public School — R Kingman WebsterCW60815593593
Conservatory Lab Charter School*CW1,687731956956
Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter SchoolHM616013839
Edward M Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (Horace Mann)HM437124313313
Excel Academy Charter School*CW1,011232779779
Four Rivers Charter Public SchoolCW664323326
Foxborough Regional Charter SchoolCW62760567567
Francis W Parker Charter Essential SchoolCW150935757
Global Learning Charter Public SchoolCW1643612838166
Hampden Charter School of Science EastCW14513962430
Hampden Charter School of Science WestCW7337361652
Hill View Montessori Charter Public SchoolCW19513182182
Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public SchoolCW20041159159
Holyoke Community Charter SchoolCW39336612
Innovation Academy Charter SchoolCW251145106106
KIPP Academy Boston Charter School*CW1,134331803803
KIPP Academy Lynn Charter SchoolCW1,210651559559
Lawrence Family Development Charter SchoolCW22538187187
Learning First Charter Public School (formerly Seven Hills Charter Public School)CW172809218110
Lowell Community Charter Public SchoolCW127715656
Marblehead Community Charter Public SchoolCW2122019215207
Martha's Vineyard Charter SchoolCW241777
Martin Luther King Jr Charter School of ExcellenceCW12498264874
Match Charter Public School*CW1,8321,047785785
Mystic Valley Regional Charter School†CW1,443118447878701,395
Neighborhood House Charter School*CW1,33245787531906
New Heights Charter School of BrocktonCW4343967106
Old Sturbridge Academy Charter Public SchoolCW29751246246
Phoenix Academy Public Charter High School Chelsea*CW91910
Pioneer Charter School of ScienceCW966938732601,133
Pioneer Charter School of Science II (PCSS-II)CW2329214067207
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter SchoolCW17765112145257
Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public SchoolCW20788119119
Prospect Hill Academy Charter SchoolCW139479278170
Rising Tide Charter Public SchoolCW244111133133
River Valley Charter SchoolCW18628158158
Roxbury Preparatory Charter School*CW1009193948
Salem Academy Charter SchoolCW1703713324157
Sizer School: A North Central Charter Essential SchoolCW550
South Shore Charter Public SchoolCW50718532211333
Springfield International Charter School (formerly Sabis International Charter School)†CW24214588997
Springfield Preparatory Charter SchoolCW41577338338
Sturgis Charter Public SchoolCW339112227227
UP Academy Charter School of DorchesterHM6525401757
Veritas Preparatory Charter SchoolCW124312125146
Commonwealth (CW) Subtotal 31,2318,47748822,2661,40824,162
Horace Mann (HM) Subtotal 9523900562106668
Grand Total 32,1838,86748822,8281,51424,830

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

† These 3 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).

* Of the 16 schools that utilized the Boston Charter School Application online application system, 15 schools still maintained a waitlist as of October 1, 2019.


The year's reports, for both the initial and update, continue to build on the additional support and technical assistance provided by the Department to the field over the past few years. The Department continues its efforts to increase the timeliness and accuracy of 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, 2021, as well as input any new waitlist data. This template embedded tools that automatically flagged duplicate records, which each school could then remove before submitting its waitlist. The template also embedded tools that flagged the waitlist for other inconsistencies, such as unrealistic dates of birth (e.g., 2/28/2021), student age, and residing outside of the Commonwealth. In order to verify student information and address overall waitlist accuracy, the Department corrected any transcription errors or inconsistencies in submitted charter school 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 identify each individual student who was included in those waitlists (and continued to remain on their waitlist) and each student who was removed from those waitlists. Finally, the Department continues to implement its matching process, which gets fine-tuned and updated to increase accuracy in identifying students who applied for admission and were waitlisted at 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 2021-2022 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, 2021 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, 2021, and current year applicants reported on charter school waitlists after March 15, 2021;
  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 unique number of students on waitlists by city/town and grade; and
  8. the total number of students on waitlists for each charter school by city/town by grade.

For more information on waitlist policy and procedures and the number of students found on previous cycles of charter school waitlists, see Charter School Technical Advisory 16-3: Enrollment Processes and FAQ's and Charter Schools Enrollemnt website, respectively. For further information regarding this report, please contact Brenton Stewart or the Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign at charterschools@doe.mass.edu .

Attachments



1 Please note that the reduction in the number of charters overall is due to two schools closing at the end of FY20 and two other schools that consolidated in FY21.

2 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 Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education.

3 The Department has worked with schools to identify the students who were placed on waitlists prior to March 31, 2014. This additional information allows the Department to identify students who submitted applications for admittance in the current year.

Last Updated: January 18, 2022

 
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.