Massachusetts Charter School Waitlist Updated Report for 2023-2024 (FY24)

As of October 1, 2023 (Posted January 2024)

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 2023 waitlist collection included students who applied for admission for the 2023-2024 school year (the initial waitlist).

The information provided below is an update to the initial (March 2023) waitlist data as of October 1, 2023. 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 2023 initial waitlist, 66 out of 76 charter schools had waitlists for which they reported 35,040 entries, with 21,270 unique students identified. Of that student headcount, 15,757 unique students newly applied for admittance to at least one charter school for the 2023-2024 school year.

The information provided below reflects the number of students who applied to charter schools for the 2023-2024 school year (FY24), but did not gain admittance and were reported on a charter school waitlist as of October 1, 2023. This updated 2023-2024 waitlist report finds the following:

Of the 66 charter schools who submitted initial waitlist data in March 2023, 63 continued to maintain a waitlist as of October 1, 2023.
Additionally, two charter schools, who did not report a waitlist in March 2023, reported maintaining a waitlist as of October 1, 2023.
The updated charter school waitlists contained 26,501 entries on all waitlists, representing 17,681 unique students.
Of the unique students, 13,557 students appear on a single waitlist and 4,124 students (23.3 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)
1	13,557
2	2,199
3	778
4	400
5	279
6	201
7	162
8	79
9	16
10	9
11	1
Total	17,681

The table below (Figure 2) identifies charter schools that have held subsequent lotteries and the number of students who were added to each school's waitlist.

**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, 2023	Applicants Reported on Initial Waitlists that were Removed as of October 1, 2023	Applicants Added to Waitlists after March 15, 2023 as of October 1, 2023	Total Number of Applicants Reported on Updated Waitlists as of October 1, 2023
Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School	Common-wealth (CW)	470	86		384
Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School*	CW	607	607	79	79
Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School	CW	918	66		852
Alma del Mar Charter School	CW	698	43		655
Argosy Collegiate Charter School	CW	149	45	147	251
Atlantis Charter School	CW	476	64	114	526
Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School	CW	46	15		31
Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School	CW	679	132	15	562
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School	CW	71	38	58	91
Boston Collegiate Charter School*	CW	1,215	352		863
Boston Day and Evening Academy Charter School	Horace Mann (HM)	25	15	19	29
Boston Green Academy Horace Mann Charter School	HM	205	100	59	164
Boston Preparatory Charter Public School*	CW	760	472	2	290
Boston Renaissance Charter Public School*	CW	898	47		851
Bridge Boston Charter School*	CW	1,547	277		1,270
Brooke Charter School*	CW	2,880	569	1	2,312
Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School	CW	272	51		221
City on a Hill Charter Public School*	CW	251	251		0
Codman Academy Charter Public School*	CW	1,478	701	81	858
Collegiate Charter School of Lowell	CW	411	143		268
Community Charter School of Cambridge	CW	9	5	12	16
Community Day Charter Public School	CW	916	39		877
Conservatory Lab Charter School*	CW	1,579	239		1,340
Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School	HM	19	0	23	42
Edward M Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (Horace Mann)	HM	362	222	145	285
Excel Academy Charter School*	CW	1,296	345		951
Four Rivers Charter Public School	CW	77	50	7	34
Foxborough Regional Charter School	CW	670	643	56	83
Francis W Parker Charter Essential School	CW	134	103		31
Global Learning Charter Public School	CW	239	93	8	154
Hampden Charter School of Science East	CW	183	155	31	59
Hampden Charter School of Science West	CW	114	42	1	73
Hill View Montessori Charter Public School	CW	316	44		272
Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School	CW	186	96		90
Holyoke Community Charter School	CW	23	23	11	11
Innovation Academy Charter School	CW	301	175	22	148
KIPP Academy Boston Charter School*	CW	1,132	117		1,015
KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School	CW	1,963	72		1,891
Lawrence Family Development Charter School	CW	289	45		244
Learning First Charter Public School	CW	281	101		180
Libertas Academy Charter School	CW	27	27	43	43
Lowell Community Charter Public School	CW	253	56		197
Map Academy Charter School	CW	0	0	19	19
Marblehead Community Charter Public School	CW	152	152		0
Martha's Vineyard Charter School	CW	10	9	1	2
Martin Luther King Jr Charter School of Excellence	CW	106	32	67	141
Match Charter Public School*	CW	1,801	958		843
Mystic Valley Regional Charter School	CW	1,035	117		918
Neighborhood House Charter School*	CW	993	140	280	1,133
New Heights Charter School of Brockton	CW	270	67		203
Old Sturbridge Academy Charter Public School	CW	277	64		213
Pioneer Charter School of Science	CW	1,812	92		1,720
Pioneer Charter School of Science II	CW	1,235	345	158	1,048
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School	CW	179	115	4	68
Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School	CW	206	115		91
Prospect Hill Academy Charter School	CW	24	22		2
Rising Tide Charter Public School	CW	227	136	17	108
River Valley Charter School	CW	155	41		114
Roxbury Preparatory Charter School*	CW	9	1	8	16
Salem Academy Charter School	CW	270	66		204
Sizer School: A North Central Charter Essential School	CW	16	16		0
South Shore Charter Public School	CW	649	252		397
Springfield International Charter School	CW	182	172	19	29
Springfield Preparatory Charter School	CW	542	155		387
Sturgis Charter Public School	CW	276	209		67
UP Academy Charter School of Dorchester	HM	111	7		104
Veritas Preparatory Charter School	CW	78	69	63	72
Worcester Cultural Academy Charter Public School	CW	0	0	9	9
Commonwealth (CW) Subtotal		34,318	9,774	1,333	25,877
Horace Mann (HM) Subtotal		722	344	246	624
Grand Total		35,040	10,118	1,579	26,501

*There are 16 schools that utilize the Boston Charter School Application online application system, 13 schools still maintained a waitlist as of October 1, 2023.

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 2023-2024 school year rather than exact numbers of students willing to accept offers at each school.

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 the template to update waitlist data that was originally submitted by March 15, 2023, 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., 2/28/2023) 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. Finally, the Department continues to implement its matching process, which is refined and updated to increase accuracy in identifying students who applied for admission to more than one charter school.

The Department thanks all of the charter school administrators and staff who worked diligently to report their waitlists as accurately as possible. The Department appreciates the efforts made by schools to submit their waitlist reports as promptly as possible.

The appendix to this report contains the following numbers based on an October 1, 2023 data collection:

the unique number of students on waitlists;
the total number applicants reported on charter school waitlists by March 15, 2023, and current year applicants reported on charter school waitlists after March 15, 2023;
the unique number of students on waitlists by grade;
the unique number of students on waitlists by city/town;
the total number of students on waitlists for each charter school by grade (with backfilling overlay);
the unique number of students on waitlists by city/town and grade; and
the total number of students on waitlists for each charter school by city/town by grade.

For more information on waitlist policies 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 FAQs and Pre-Enrollment and Waitlist Data. For further information regarding this report, please contact Brenton Stewart or the Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign at charterschools@mass.gov .

Attachment

FY2024 Updated Waitlist Appendix

Last Updated: January 10, 2024