On March 31, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education announced grant recipients for the FY 2023 Charter Schools Program (CSP) Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools Grants. In all there are 13 awards totaling more than $111 million to be awarded over the next five years. These grants will be used to replicate and expand high-performing charter schools across the country.
FY 2023 grant recipients are:
- Ascend Learning, Inc. to create an additional 1,051 seats, prepare students academically and socially for a life of boundless choice upon graduating from Ascend, and enhance programmatic offerings to the community.
- Harmony Public Schools for the Inspiring Futures Across Texas project which will create 8,200 high-quality new seats in the Harmony network through replication and expansion and increase the percentage of graduates attaining a college degree and/or certificate within six years of graduation.
- Helix Community Schools for the Expansion of Helix Aviation to further its mission of providing students with early exposure to an immersive learning environment that reinforces aviation and STEM content learning from middle school through the end of high school and beyond.
- iLearn Schools, Inc. to enhance school growth by expanding the iLearn network facilities capacities across the NJ-NYC area to serve approximately 7,153 students by 2025, an increase of 1,569 students and continue expanding its existing campuses by one grade level per year and open additional campuses as needed to accommodate grade level expansion, providing additional students from disadvantaged cities and from all walks of life equal opportunities for brighter futures.
- International Leadership of Texas to increase student population to 28,770 (economically disadvantaged inclusive) over the five-year grant period and increase Texas STAAR exam passing rate by minimum of 3 percentage points at “meets” level of performance in math and reading.
- KIPP Foundation in consortium with KIPP Regions for replicating and expanding high-quality KIPP Schools in Columbus, Detroit, Nashville, and Stockton, creating 2,350 seats in high-quality public schools that will expand educational opportunities for all students, particularly underserved students.
- LEAP Social Enterprise, Inc. to expand opportunities for students to attend charter schools in Puerto Rico and meet the academic standards and invest in the planning, program design, and initial implementation of three new public charter schools in Puerto Rico.
- Prospect Schools, Inc. for the replication of two schools (a fourth elementary and a third middle school) to open in the fall of 2023 to serve a racially and socioeconomically diverse student body in Brooklyn, New York and will add between 780 and 852 high-quality seats within the same Brooklyn communities in which Prospect Schools’ existing campuses are situated.
- ReGeneration Schools Ohio for the expansion and replication of high-quality charter schools in Cincinnati, Ohio by 2028, with four new campuses, adding 1,300 additional high-quality seats to the families in underserved communities of Cincinnati and to demonstrate quality as measured by student attendance rates that exceed the district, 80% student retention, 70% effective teacher retention, satisfactory parent surveys, and a waitlist of students.
- Students Prepared to Succeed for the addition of a high school for Hennepin schools, site expansion for increased enrollment in Star Of The North Academy, and recruitment/enrollment support across Students Prepared To Succeed network, increasing the number of students attending a high-quality charter school by 786, expanding another school through the addition of high school grades 9-12, while more comprehensively supporting two additional charter schools to narrow the achievement gap.
- Success Academy Charter Schools, Inc. to open and expand eight new elementary and two new middle schools and expand grade levels or significantly expand student populations at five elementary, four middle, and two high schools over the next five years, serving a total of 6,724 scholars in those new and expanded grades.
- The Wildflower Foundation to expand one existing charter and replicate seven new charters, serving 1,286 students–the majority of whom identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color–at 39 micro school sites and by 2028, growing from three to 10 operating charter schools in six or more regions and will expand to serve high school students, offering a full continuum of Montessori public education preK3–12th grade at 10 charter schools.
- Zeta Charter Schools, LLC to expand its four current elementary schools and open two new middle schools to meet the tremendous demand and need for high-quality elementary and middle school seats in New York City, serving 4,680 students across PreK to 8th grade.
Nina Rees, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said, “We urgently need more high-quality public charter schools. These grants will go a long way to help meet demand for these unique public schools, which continues to grow. Enrollment in public charter schools increased by 7% over the last three years—evidence that parents were looking for something more and better for their children. Parents turn to charter schools for their strong community ties, powerful student focus, and ability to pivot quickly and meet the needs of families. Ninety-three percent of American parents across the political spectrum agree that one size does not fit all in education and 73% of parents with school-aged children expressed their approval of charter schools in a survey conducted by The Harris Poll in 2022. The CSP grants provide critical funding to support these special public schools as they work to meet the needs of communities across the nation.”
Currently, 7,700 charter schools serve nearly 3.7 million public school students across 44 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
