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Massachusetts Charter Schools

Massachusetts Charter School Waitlist Updated Report for 2018-2019 (FY19)

As of October 1, 2018 (Posted February 2019)

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 2018 waitlist collection included students who applied for admission for the 2018-2019 school year (the initial waitlist).

The information provided below is an update to the initial (March 2018) waitlist data as of October 1, 2018. 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 2018 initial waitlist, 761 out of 82 charter schools had waitlists for which they reported 56,233 entries, with 29,430 unique students identified. Of that student headcount, 26,579 unique students newly applied for admittance to at least one charter school for the 2018-2019 school year; the remaining 2,851 unique students applied for admittance prior to March 2014.

The information provided below reflects the number of students who applied to charter schools for the 2018-2019 school year (FY19), but did not gain admittance and were reported on a charter school waitlist as of October 1, 2019. This updated 2018-2019 waitlist report finds the following:

  • Of the 76 charter schools who submitted initial waitlist data in March 2018, 72 continued to maintain or had created a subsequent waitlist.
  • The updated charter school waitlists contained 46,685 entries on all waitlists, representing 25,308 unique students.
    • Of the 25,308 unique students, 2,278 students applied for admittance prior to March 20142; representing a decrease of 7,422 when compared to number of pre-2014 applicants first identified on the 2016-17 initial waitlist report.
    • The remaining 23,030 unique students3 newly applied for admittance to at least one charter school for the 2018-2019 school year.
  • Of the unique students, 15,510 students appear on a single waitlist and 7,520 students (33 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 2018-2019 School Year and were Waitlisted
117,7882,27815,510
22,40002,400
31,76201,762
49420942
57960796
67150715
76360636
81640164
967067
1023023
11808
12404
13202
14101
Total25,3082,27823,030

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 11,194 student records were removed from the total March 2018 initial waitlist report. Charter schools reported that 45,039 student records remained on their waitlists as October 1, 2018, while an additional 1,646 student records were added to their waitlists after March 15, 2018. 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, 2018 Applicants Reported on Initial Waitlists that were Removed as of October 1, 2018 Remaining Applicants that were added to Waitlists prior to March 31, 2014 as of October 1, 2018 Remaining Applicants that were added to Waitlists by March 15, 2018 as of October 1, 2018 Applicants Added to Waitlists after March 15, 2018 as of October 1, 2018 Total Number of Applicants Reported on Updated Waitlists as of October 1, 2018
Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public SchoolCW60749 5580558
Academy Of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School*CW1,334365 9691471,116
Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter SchoolCW71355 6580658
Alma del Mar Charter SchoolCW563103 4600460
Argosy Collegiate Charter SchoolCW216216 06363
Atlantis Charter School†CW4246435325129489
Barnstable Community Horace Mann Charter Public SchoolHM66 000
Baystate Academy Charter Public SchoolCW207184 237699
Benjamin Banneker Charter Public SchoolCW42557 3680368
Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public SchoolCW35543 3120312
Bentley Academy Charter SchoolHM12844 8457141
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public SchoolCW1111 01313
Boston Collegiate Charter School*CW1,944279 1,66501,665
Boston Day and Evening Academy Charter SchoolHM9939 6086146
Boston Green Academy Horace Mann Charter SchoolHM42122 39922421
Boston Preparatory Charter Public School*CW1,254367 8870887
Boston Renaissance Charter Public School*CW2,28271 2,21102,211
Bridge Boston Charter SchoolCW44340 4030403
Brooke Charter School*CW4,346437 3,90903,909
Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter SchoolCW400128 2720272
Christa McAuliffe Charter Public SchoolCW180116 64064
City on a Hill Charter Public School Circuit Street*CW8585 000
City on a Hill Charter Public School Dudley Square*CW5353 000
Codman Academy Charter Public School*CW3,168527 2,64102,641
Collegiate Charter School of LowellCW264154 1100110
Community Charter School of CambridgeCW271 263359
Community Day Charter Public School - GatewayCW8537 8460846
Community Day Charter Public School - ProspectCW8381 8370837
Community Day Charter Public School - R Kingman WebsterCW81110 8010801
Conservatory Lab Charter School*CW3,1451,179 1,96601,966
Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter SchoolHM8473 116172
Edward M Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (Horace Mann)HM80699 7070707
Excel Academy Charter School*CW1,605516 1,08901,089
Four Rivers Charter Public SchoolCW8528 57057
Foxborough Regional Charter SchoolCW980468 5120512
Francis W Parker Charter Essential SchoolCW20691 1150115
Global Learning Charter Public SchoolCW405139 2660266
Hampden Charter School of Science EastCW399158 24183324
Hampden Charter School of Science WestCW9283 94150
Helen Y Davis Leadership Academy Charter Public School*CW261108 1530153
Hill View Montessori Charter Public SchoolCW29422 2720272
Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public SchoolCW25860 19864262
Holyoke Community Charter SchoolCW15056 94094
Innovation Academy Charter SchoolCW403115 28812300
KIPP Academy Boston Charter School*CW2,535494 2,04102,041
KIPP Academy Lynn Charter SchoolCW1,88596 1,78901,789
Lawrence Family Development Charter SchoolCW327107 2200220
Libertas Academy Charter SchoolCW660 66066
Lowell Community Charter Public SchoolCW31168 2430243
Map Academy Charter SchoolCW66 000
Marblehead Community Charter Public SchoolCW12967 62062
Martha's Vineyard Charter SchoolCW4919 30030
Martin Luther King Jr Charter School of ExcellenceCW5643 136477
MATCH Charter Public School*CW3,98497 3,88703,887
Mystic Valley Regional Charter School†CW2,5652161,2531,09602,349
Neighborhood House Charter School*CW3,4920 3,492383,530
New Heights Charter School of BrocktonCW158158 05757
Old Sturbridge Academy Charter Public SchoolCW8731 56056
Phoenix Academy Public Charter High School Chelsea*CW286286 000
Pioneer Charter School of ScienceCW1,30762 1,2452961,541
Pioneer Charter School of Science II (PCSS-II)CW26839 22972301
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter SchoolCW14451 9348141
Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public SchoolCW319153 1660166
Prospect Hill Academy Charter SchoolCW279144 13541176
Rising Tide Charter Public SchoolCW323146 17726203
River Valley Charter SchoolCW16834 1340134
Roxbury Preparatory Charter School*CW557532 25025
Sabis International Charter School†CW2,0016031,12127701,398
Salem Academy Charter SchoolCW24660 18644230
Seven Hills Charter Public SchoolCW26783 18445229
Sizer School: A North Central Charter Essential SchoolCW5854 459
South Shore Charter Public SchoolCW995260 7350735
Springfield Preparatory Charter SchoolCW31332 2810281
Sturgis Charter Public SchoolCW452182 2700270
UP Academy Charter School of BostonHM0None initially reported 02323
UP Academy Charter School of DorchesterHM552146 4060406
Veritas Preparatory Charter SchoolCW418196 2220222
Commonwealth (CW) Subtotal54,13710,7652,40940,9631,39744,769
Horace Mann (HM) Subtotal2,09642901,6672491,916
Grand Total56,23311,1942,40942,6301,64646,685

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, 13 schools still maintained a waitlist as of October 1, 2018.

The year's reports, for both the initial and update, build on last year's additional support and technical assistance provided by the Department to the field. 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, 2018, 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., 10/1/2017) 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, which gets fine-tuned and updated to increase accuracy in identifying students who applied for admission to 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 2018-2019 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, 2018 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, 2017, and current year applicants reported on charter school waitlists after March 15, 2017;
  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 Pre-Enrollment and Waitlist Data webpage, respectively. For further information regarding this report, please contact Brenton Stewart or the Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign.

Attachments



1 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 Department.

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

3 Please note: out of 21,083 new applying students in 2017-2018, waitlist updates indicate 371 were added to new waitlists while still remaining on other school waitlists based on applications submitted prior to March 31, 2014.

Last Updated: February 5, 2019

 
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