Public Notice
The Board of Education will hold public hearings pursuant to the Charter School Law on applications for new charter schools in Philadelphia. The hearings will be held on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 at the Education Center, 440 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA in the Board Offices, Suite 101. The schedule for the hearings is as follows:
9:30 AM — Joan Myers Brown Academy: A String Theory Charter School
2:00 PM — High School of Health Sciences Leadership Charter School
Public testimony will not be accepted during the hearings on Wednesday, January 22, 2020.
To submit testimony on the new charter applications, you must be a Philadelphia resident and must submit your testimony in writing before Friday, January 24, 2020 at 5:00 PM EST. Testimony may be submitted in writing or via email to schoolboard@philasd.org. If submitted by mail, written testimony must be postmarked by Friday, January 24, 2020 and addressed to:
Board of Education The School District of Philadelphia 440 North Broad Street, Suite 101 Philadelphia, PA 19130Written testimony should include the full name and address of the sender, and should indicate the specific new charter application(s) to which the testimony refers. All written testimony received by the Board of Education will be made part of the public record for the respective new charter application hearing.
New Charter Application Cycle
The 2019-20 application cycle for new charter schools in Philadelphia is underway. Please use the links below to access the new charter application materials for the 2019-20 cycle.
For charter schools seeking to open in the 2020-21 school year, the deadline for submitting all applications and supporting materials to the Charter Schools Office (CSO) is November 15, 2019.
NOTE: The information on this page pertains to the application process to open a new charter school in Philadelphia. If you are seeking more information on how to apply for admission into a charter school for a student, please visit our Directory.
Information Webinars
The CSO hosted informational webinars regarding the New Charter Application process (see dates below). If you have any questions regarding the information webinars that were held, please email charterapplications@philasd.org or call 215-400-6139.
- Tuesday, September 10, 2019 (11:30AM – 12:30PM)
- Wednesday, September 18, 2019 (10:30AM – 11:30AM)
- Tuesday, October 1, 2019 (2:00PM – 2:30PM)
Timeline/Process
- The CSO holds informational meetings in September and October.
- Letters of Intent are due by October 15, 2019.
- Completed applications and supporting materials are due to the CSO by November 15, 2019.
- Within 45 days of the application deadline, the Board of Education will hold a public hearing to review all charter applications.
- Within 75 days of the first public hearing, the Board of Education will determine whether to grant or deny each new charter.
Application Requirements
The CSO updates New Charter Application materials each academic year. Applicant teams seeking to open a new charter school in Philadelphia are encouraged to review both the Charter School Law and prior year’s application guidance and evaluation reports for submitted New Charter Applications prior to submitting a New Charter Application. Please note: The CSO does not review or provide feedback on draft applications. Once an application is submitted by the due date, it is considered final and will be reviewed as submitted.
2019-20 New Charter Applications
The table below contains information from New Charter Applications for the 2019-20 Cycle that were submitted to the Charter Schools Office by November 15, 2019. The table has been updated with information on submitted applications, including application narratives.
| Proposed School Name | Status | Proposed School Opening Date | Year 1 Grade Span / Enrollment | At-Scale Grade Span / Enrollment | Target Community | Primary Contact | Email Address |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School of Health Sciences Leadership Charter School | Submitted | September 1, 2021 | Grade 9 / 150 students | 9-12 / 600 students | Citywide | Timothy Matheney | tim@spireleadershipgroup.com |
| Joan Myers Brown Academy: A String Theory Charter Schools | Submitted | September 8, 2020 | K-5 / 600 students | K-8 / 900 students | West Philadelphia | Jason Corosanite | info@stringtheoryschools.org |
| Roberta B. Kennedy Charter School for Girls | Withdrawn |
The CSO received Letters of Intent, but did not receive New Charter Application materials for the following proposed charter schools:
- Pod Academy Charter School
- New Foundations Charter School II
- Juliet Sawyer Business Academy Charter School
- Philadelphia Real Estate Entrepreneurial Charter School