Massachusetts Charter Schools

Applications for Renewals of Public School Charters: Solicitation of Superintendent Comment

This winter, the Commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) will make recommendations to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) regarding the renewal of the charters for 12 schools. If you wish to request a copy of any of the Applications for Renewal or if you have any questions, please contact charterschools@doe.mass.edu. Consistent with charter school regulations, the review of the school's application for renewal for another five-year term is guided by evidence regarding the success of the school's academic program, the viability of the school as an organization, and the faithfulness of the school to the terms of its charter. The Commissioner's recommendations will consider each school's performance at the time of the charter renewal as well as the progress it has made during the past four years of operation. The evaluation will include a review of evidence such as the school's academic performance, accountability plan performance, annual reports, financial record, and application for renewal, as well as assessments conducted by the Department. We currently anticipate that these matters may be brought to the Board for consideration no earlier than its January 24, 2017 meeting and no later than its February 28, 2017 meeting. Please check Board Meeting Schedule and Agendas for updates. The Department invites written comments from Superintendents regarding the possible renewal of a charter school that is located in your district, or that enrolls students from your district. Please see the table below for a list of charter schools that have submitted applications for renewal and the schools' associated districts. Please submit your written comments by November 17, 2016 to: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign, 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148. If you have any questions about the charter school renewal process, please contact us at 781-338-3227, or by e-mail at charterschools@doe.mass.edu. Thank you for your support in this important process.

Charter School Name	Current District or Region	Chartered Maximum Enrollment1	Chartered Grade Span	Grade Span 2016-17
Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School	Boston	545	5–12	5–12
Brooke Charter School	Boston	2,221	K–12	K–9
Christa McAuliffe Charter School	Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Marlborough, Natick, Southborough, Sudbury	396	6–8	6–8
Community Day Charter Public School - Gateway	Lawrence	400	PK–8	PK–5
Community Day Charter Public School - R. Kingman Webster	Lawrence	400	PK–8	PK–5
Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School (Horace Mann)	Boston	308	PK–5	PK–5
Global Learning Charter Public School	New Bedford	500	5–12	5–12
KIPP Academy Boston Charter School	Boston	588	K–8	K–2 and 5–8
Pioneer Charter School of Science	Chelsea, Everett, Revere	780	K–12	K–2 and 6–12
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School	Agawam, Amherst, Amherst-Pelham, Belchertown, Chesterfield-Goshen, Chicopee, Conway, Deerfield, East Longmeadow, Easthampton, Frontier, Gill-Montague, Granby, Granville, Greenfield, Hadley, Hampden-Wilbraham, Hampshire, Hatfield, Hawlemont, Holyoke, Leverett, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Mohawk Trail, Northampton, Pelham, Pioneer Valley, Shutesbury, South Hadley, Southampton, Springfield, Sunderland, West Springfield, Westfield, Westhampton, Whately, Williamsburg, Southwick-Tolland	584	K–12	K–12
Sizer School, A North Central Charter Essential School	Ashburnham-Westminster, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster, Lunenberg, Nashoba, North Middlesex, Wachusett	400	7–12	7–12
Veritas Preparatory Charter School	Springfield	324	5–8	5–8

Note:

1 The following charter schools have also submitted requests to increase maximum enrollment: KIPP Academy Boston Charter School, Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, and Veritas Preparatory Charter School. Please see Charter Amendment Requests Pending BESE Action for more details.

Last Updated: August 18, 2016