The Advantages of Charter Schools

A significant advantage of living in New York is that we have fantastic school resources. One education choice for New York students that continues to grow is Charter Schools. What is a Charter school, and how do they work?

What is a Charter School?

Charter schools are independently-operated public schools accountable for advancing student achievement. This combination of freedom and accountability allows charter teachers to adapt their classrooms based on their students’ needs while pushing for high academic achievement.

New York City’s 274 charter schools are independent of the New York City Department of Education, but they can be closed if they don’t meet certain student achievement standards.

Charter schools offer students opportunities for academic success that unfortunately cannot be said for some of the city’s public schools.

NYC Charter School Specialized Programs

NYC Charters Do Not Succeed at the Expense of District Schools

A common myth is that as New York’s charter schools succeed, the city’s traditional public schools fail as a result. A 2018 study by the Manhattan Institute concluded that “competition from New York City charter schools has either no effect or a positive effect,” on the city’s traditional public schools.

In fact, district schools have improved significantly as charter schools have spread throughout New York City’s five boroughs. Funding for district schools has also increased as the student population at charter schools has increased over the years.

Charter Schools are Specialized, with No Tuition Costs

Charter teachers adapt their classrooms and teaching methods to the current needs of their students. This freedom in the curriculum, teaching style, school missions and policies resembles that of private schools, enabling charter schools to provide the very best approach to academics that fits their students. Though teachers have flexibility, charter schools are held accountable for high academic achievement levels.

Charter School is a Lottery System

New York City’s charter schools admit students through a lottery system; they can- not select their students. This process gives students from all backgrounds and education levels an equal opportunity to attend and achieve academic success at charter schools.

Charter Students have had Access to Great Schooling. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York, charter schools across the five boroughs immediately transitioned to remote learning that adapted to the students in each classrooms’ needs.

75% of New York’s charter schools had created a remote learning procedure before the March 2020 lockdown. Charter students only had to wait an average of three days to begin remote learning after in-person learning was closed.

Both charter students and teachers had the tools to continue learning and teaching from home. 80% of New York charter schools provided students with devices for remote learning before schools were closed and 98% of New York’s charter school teachers had the technology to conduct remote instruction.

Charter schools have been able to keep students accountable and maintain a high level of learning despite COVID-19 and its ramifications on education. 85% of New York’s charter schools continued to introduce new learning content to students through the pandemic and charter schools were three times more likely to take attendance during remote classes com- pared to traditional schools.

Charter schools also expanded non- academic programs such as social-emotional counseling and family outreach during the pandemic. 75% of charter teachers increased their office hours during remote learning and 91% of charter teachers increased their time spent on communication with families during the pandemic.

There are charter schools throughout all five boroughs. We recently met leaders from many schools throughout the Bronx and Manhattan at a live charter school fair in March, 2025. Scroll through the charter schools below to read more about those schools: