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Massachusetts Charter Schools

Massachusetts Charter School Waitlist Updated Report for 2022-2023 (FY23)

As of October 3, 2022 (Posted December 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 2022 waitlist collection included students who applied for admission for the 2022-2023 school year (the initial waitlist).

The information provided below is an update to the initial (March 2022) waitlist data as of October 3, 2022. 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 2022 initial waitlist, 66 out of 761 charter schools had waitlists for which they reported 35,776 entries, with 21,110 unique students identified. Of that student headcount, 21,091 unique students newly applied for admittance to at least one charter school for the 2022-2023 school year; the remaining 19 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 2022-2023 school year (FY23), but did not gain admittance and were reported on a charter school waitlist as of October 3, 2022. This updated 2022-2023 waitlist report finds the following:

  • Of the 66 charter schools who submitted initial waitlist data in March 2022, 63 continued to maintain a waitlist as of October 3, 2022.
  • Additionally, one charter school, who did not report a waitlist in March 2022, reported maintaining a waitlist as of October 3, 2022.
  • The updated charter school waitlists contained 35,776 entries on all waitlists, representing 17,499 unique students.
    • Of the 17,499 unique students, 17,488 unique students newly applied for admittance to at least one charter school for the 2022-2023 school year.
    • Of the 19 students who were reported in March 2022 as waitlisted prior to March 31, 2014, only 11 students remained on a waitlist as of October 3, 2022.
  • Of the unique students, 13,512 students appear on a single waitlist and 3,987 students (22.8 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 2022-2023 School Year and were Waitlisted
113,5121113,501
21,92001,920
37050705
44290429
53390339
62600260
71650165
81200120
931031
1011011
11505
12101
14101
Total17,4991117,488

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, one school continues to include such students from prior years on their active waitlists. This charter school waitlist report update found that 10,426 student records were removed from the total March 2022 initial waitlist report. Charter schools reported that 25,350 student records remained on their waitlists as of October 3, 2022, while an additional 1,673 student records were added to their waitlists after March 15, 2022. 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's 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, 2022 Applicants Reported on Initial Waitlists that were Removed as of October 3, 2022 Applicants Added to Waitlists after March 15, 2022 as of October 3, 2022 Total Number of Applicants Reported on Updated Waitlists as of October 3, 2022
Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public SchoolCommon-wealth (CW)60387516
Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School*CW467239228
Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter SchoolCW88762825
Alma del Mar Charter SchoolCW57984495
Argosy Collegiate Charter SchoolCW10977149181
Atlantis Charter School†CW38460324
Benjamin Banneker Charter Public SchoolCW1131994
Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public SchoolCW50694412
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public SchoolCW52324868
Boston Collegiate Charter School*CW1,323683640
Boston Day and Evening Academy Charter SchoolHorace Mann (HM)53272652
Boston Green Academy Horace Mann Charter SchoolHM20992117
Boston Preparatory Charter Public School*CW877715162
Boston Renaissance Charter Public School*CW96657909
Bridge Boston Charter School*CW1,7211131,608
Brooke Charter School*CW3,1418872,254
Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter SchoolCW23859179
Christa McAuliffe Charter Public SchoolCW660
City on a Hill Charter Public School*CW2102100
Codman Academy Charter Public School*CW1,6374301,207
Collegiate Charter School of LowellCW359198124285
Community Charter School of CambridgeCW1811512
Community Day Charter Public SchoolCW1,135401,095
Conservatory Lab Charter School*CW1,87537451,506
Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter SchoolHM35272836
Edward M Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (Horace Mann)HM400296104
Excel Academy Charter School*CW1,16340419778
Four Rivers Charter Public SchoolCW58392039
Foxborough Regional Charter SchoolCW737482255
Francis W Parker Charter Essential SchoolCW13611818
Global Learning Charter Public SchoolCW2037631158
Hampden Charter School of Science EastCW22118465102
Hampden Charter School of Science WestCW153131628
Hill View Montessori Charter Public SchoolCW31848270
Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public SchoolCW20032168
Innovation Academy Charter SchoolCW2801426144
KIPP Academy Boston Charter School*CW1,232991,133
KIPP Academy Lynn Charter SchoolCW1,834771,757
Lawrence Family Development Charter SchoolCW31249263
Learning First Charter Public SchoolCW2399130178
Libertas Academy Charter SchoolCW880
Lowell Community Charter Public SchoolCW20284118
Map Academy Charter SchoolCW001010
Marblehead Community Charter Public SchoolCW1301301313
Martha's Vineyard Charter SchoolCW25201116
Martin Luther King Jr Charter School of ExcellenceCW42273348
Match Charter Public School*CW2,1808951,285
Mystic Valley Regional Charter SchoolCW1,609911,518
Neighborhood House Charter School*CW1,436451901,075
New Heights Charter School of BrocktonCW17189305387
Old Sturbridge Academy Charter Public SchoolCW406637350
Pioneer Charter School of ScienceCW1,321963451,570
Pioneer Charter School of Science IICW568325139382
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter SchoolCW166992996
Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public SchoolCW17512352
Prospect Hill Academy Charter SchoolCW252544
Rising Tide Charter Public SchoolCW212104108
River Valley Charter SchoolCW14441103
Roxbury Preparatory Charter School*CW141417
Salem Academy Charter SchoolCW20163138
Sizer School: A North Central Charter Essential SchoolCW3231910
South Shore Charter Public SchoolCW55424110323
Springfield International Charter School†CW1591559397
Springfield Preparatory Charter SchoolCW60077523
Sturgis Charter Public SchoolCW292170122
UP Academy Charter School of DorchesterHM38434
Veritas Preparatory Charter SchoolCW7762924
Commonwealth (CW) Subtotal 35,0419,9801,61926,680
Horace Mann (HM) Subtotal 73544654343
Grand Total 35,77610,4261,67327,023

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

† These two 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). Atlantis Charter School reported that 11 students who were waitlisted prior to March 31, 2014 remained on the school's waitlist as of October 3, 2022. Springfield International Charter School reported that the school exhausted its waitlist that was established prior to March 31, 2014.

* Of the 16 schools that utilized the Boston Charter School Application online application system, 13 schools still maintained a waitlist as of October 3, 2022.


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 2022-2023 school year rather than exact numbers of students willing to accept offers at each school.

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, 2022, 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) and student age. 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 to increase accuracy in identifying students who applied for admission and were waitlisted at more than one charter school.

The Department thanks all of the charter school administrators and staff who worked diligently to report their waitlists as accurately as possible. The Department appreciates the efforts made by schools to submit their waitlists as promptly as possible.

The appendix to this report contains the following numbers based on an October 3, 2022 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, 2022, and current year applicants reported on charter school waitlists after March 15, 2022;
  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 the consolidation of three schools into one school for FY23.

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.

Last Updated: December 21, 2022

 
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