Charter Public Schools

There are 14 charter public schools in Boston which serve over 4,000 students. Charter public schools are free and open to all. Each school admits students through a random lottery. There are no tests, interviews or auditions to get a spot.

Most of the Boston charter schools are small and emphasize a rigorous, challenging, college prep education for every student.

Charter public schools are held to tough standards: the Department of Education can (and has) shut down charters which did not perform at high levels (particularly on MCAS) within 5 years of opening.

To sign up your child for a charter school's lottery (typically held in March) you need to contact that school to learn more. Many of these schools have many more applicants than slots, so students are randomly selected to keep the process fair.

More information can be found at the Boston charter public school website.

Important Note: Your best chances of getting a child into a charter school are in kindergarten (kindergarten may also mean pre-kindergarten, you will need to check with individual schools); grades 5 or 6 (depending on which grade the middle school begins); and grade 9. You should apply the year before your child enters these grades. While you can still shop for charter schools if your child is entering grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 - their chances of admittance are much lower.

Boston also has two "Horace Mann" charter schools. These two are listed under "Pilot Schools" on this website.