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Massachusetts Charter Schools

Massachusetts Charter School Waitlist Updated Report for 2019-2020 (FY20)

As of October 1, 2019 (Posted February 2020)

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 2019 waitlist collection included students who applied for admission for the 2019-2020 school year (the initial waitlist).

The information provided below is an update to the initial (March 2019) waitlist data as of October 1, 2019. 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, 73 1 out of 81 charter schools had waitlists for which they reported 53,668 entries, with 27,743 unique students identified. Of that student headcount, 26,025 unique students newly applied for admittance to at least one charter school for the 2019-2020 school year; the remaining 1,718 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 2019-2020 school year (FY20), but did not gain admittance and were reported on a charter school waitlist as of October 1, 2019. This updated 2019-2020 waitlist report finds the following:

  • Of the 73 charter schools who submitted initial waitlist data in March 2019, 69 continued to maintain a waitlist.
  • The updated charter school waitlists contained 42,116 entries on all waitlists, representing 23,084 unique students.
    • Of the 23,084 unique students, 1,341 students applied for admittance prior to March 2014 2 ; representing a decrease of 7,704 when compared to number of pre-2014 applicants first identified on the 2016-17 initial waitlist report.
    • The remaining 21,743 unique students 3 newly applied for admittance to at least one charter school for the 2019-2020 school year.
  • Of the unique students, 15,990 students appear on a single waitlist and 7,094 students (31 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 2017-2018 School Year and were Waitlisted
115,9901,34114,649
22,18402,184
32,00102,001
41,01701,017
57250725
64920492
74820482
892092
950050
1025025
1116016
12808
13101
14101
Total23,0841,34121,743

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 12,868 student records were removed from the total March 2019 initial waitlist report. Charter schools reported that 40,800 student records remained on their waitlists as October 1, 2019, while an additional 1,316 student records were added to their waitlists after March 15, 2019. 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, 2019 Applicants Reported on Initial Waitlists that were Removed as of October 1, 2019 Remaining Applicants that were added to Waitlists prior to March 31, 2014 as of October 1, 2019 Remaining Applicants that were added to Waitlists by March 15, 2019 as of October 1, 2019 Applicants Added to Waitlists after March 15, 2019 as of October 1, 2019 Total Number of Applicants Reported on Updated Waitlists as of October 1, 2019
Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public SchoolCW67142 629 629
Academy Of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School*CW1,184485 699 699
Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter SchoolCW66748 619 619
Alma del Mar Charter SchoolCW703321 382 382
Argosy Collegiate Charter SchoolCW243243  3535
Atlantis Charter School†CW4958134380104518
Baystate Academy Charter Public SchoolCW214158 563692
Benjamin Banneker Charter Public SchoolCW431110 321 321
Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public SchoolCW395105 290 290
Bentley Academy Charter SchoolHM103103 0 0
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public SchoolCW4135 62632
Boston Collegiate Charter School*CW1,972326 1,646 1,646
Boston Day and Evening Academy Charter SchoolHM10391 1288100
Boston Green Academy Horace Mann Charter SchoolHM45043 40738445
Boston Preparatory Charter Public School*CW1,201240 961 961
Boston Renaissance Charter Public School*CW2,10762 2,045 2,045
Bridge Boston Charter SchoolCW37875 303 303
Brooke Charter School*CW4,379453 3,926 3,926
Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter SchoolCW36479 285 285
Christa McAuliffe Charter Public SchoolCW274274  11
Codman Academy Charter Public School*CW2,914935 1,97941,983
Collegiate Charter School of LowellCW288138 150 150
Community Charter School of CambridgeCW220 222547
Community Day Charter Public School - GatewayCW1,148124 1,024 1,024
Community Day Charter Public School - ProspectCW1,159144 1,015 1,015
Community Day Charter Public School - R Kingman WebsterCW1,140131 1,009 1,009
Conservatory Lab Charter School*CW2,654893 1,761 1,761
Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter SchoolHM204118 86 86
Edward M Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (Horace Mann)HM1,039267 772109881
Excel Academy Charter School*CW1,599252 1,347 1,347
Four Rivers Charter Public SchoolCW8851 37 37
Foxborough Regional Charter SchoolCW1,089441 648 648
Francis W Parker Charter Essential SchoolCW214136 78 78
Global Learning Charter Public SchoolCW30226 276 276
Hampden Charter School of Science EastCW218190 286088
Hampden Charter School of Science WestCW147135 121426
Helen Y Davis Leadership Academy Charter Public School*CW20076 124 124
Hill View Montessori Charter Public SchoolCW37313 360 360
Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public SchoolCW25639 21723240
Holyoke Community Charter SchoolCW18258 1249133
Innovation Academy Charter SchoolCW404140 264 264
KIPP Academy Boston Charter School*CW2,459649 1,810 1,810
KIPP Academy Lynn Charter SchoolCW1,859163 1,696 1,696
Lawrence Family Development Charter SchoolCW344104 240 240
Libertas Academy Charter SchoolCW5554 12122
Lowell Community Charter Public SchoolCW30859 249 249
Map Academy Charter SchoolCW4141 0 0
Marblehead Community Charter Public SchoolCW8256 262147
Martha's Vineyard Charter SchoolCW2622 4 4
Martin Luther King Jr Charter School of ExcellenceCW5237 157186
MATCH Charter Public School*CW3,866506 3,360 3,360
Mystic Valley Regional Charter School†CW1,802108869825 1,694
Neighborhood House Charter School*CW3,116641 2,47592,484
New Heights Charter School of BrocktonCW125125 0 0
Old Sturbridge Academy Charter Public SchoolCW15116 135 135
Phoenix Academy Public Charter High School Chelsea*CW193193 0 0
Pioneer Charter School of ScienceCW1,38741 1,3461981,544
Pioneer Charter School of Science II (PCSS-II)CW37296 27644320
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter SchoolCW20859 14967216
Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public SchoolCW273162 111 111
Prospect Hill Academy Charter SchoolCW172114 584199
Rising Tide Charter Public SchoolCW260121 1392141
River Valley Charter SchoolCW16154 107 107
Roxbury Preparatory Charter School*CW331208 123 123
Sabis International Charter School†CW1,2125885031213627
Salem Academy Charter SchoolCW26552 213155368
Seven Hills Charter Public SchoolCW25157 19438232
Sizer School: A North Central Charter Essential SchoolCW5847 11112
South Shore Charter Public SchoolCW728117 6111612
Springfield Preparatory Charter SchoolCW40791 316 316
Sturgis Charter Public SchoolCW405185 220 220
UP Academy Charter School of DorchesterHM306249 5750107
Veritas Preparatory Charter SchoolCW378172 20622228
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, 14 schools still maintained a waitlist as of October 1, 2019.

The year's reports, for both the initial and update, continue to build on the additional support and technical assistance provided by the Department to the field over the past few years. 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, 2019, 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., 2/28/2019), student age, and residing outside of the Commonwealth. 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 and were waitlisted at 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 2019-2020 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, 2019 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, 2019, and current year applicants reported on charter school waitlists after March 15, 2019;
  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 allows the Department to identify students who submitted applications for admittance in the current year.

3 Please note: out of 21,743 new applying students in 2019-2020, waitlist updates indicate 65 were added to new waitlists while still remaining on other school waitlists based on applications submitted prior to March 31, 2014.

Last Updated: February 10, 2020

 
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