FOCUS D.C. Public Charter School Bulletin

August 30, 2005

Fourteen New and Expansion Charter Schools to Open; Enrollment Approaches 25% Mark

Eleven new public charter schools are opening their doors this fall, along with three expansion campuses being started by existing charter schools. Overall, the charter schools project a combined enrollment of 19,484, up from 15,500 in the 2004-2005 school year. If this goal is reached, D.C.’s public charter schools would enroll approximately 25% of all D.C. public school students.

D.C.’s charter school program began in 1996 with the opening of two schools enrolling 300 students. Today, there are 52 charter schools operating on 64 campuses.

The eleven new schools:

Academia Bilingue de la Comunidad (ABC)
Spanish/English bilingual immersion middle school

Academy of Learning Through the Arts (ALTA)
Pre-k through 8 arts immersion school

AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School
Literacy-intensive preschool

Bridges Public Charter School
Family- and child-centered early childhood program

City Lights Public Charter School
Special education school for students ages 12-22, focusing primarily on emotionally disturbed students and those with behavioral problems.

Early Childhood Academy Public Charter School
Language- and literacy-rich academic environment for pre-k through third-grade children

Hope Community Public Charter School
K-8 school developed in cooperation with Imagine Schools, Inc., emphasizing strong academics and technology literacy.

Howard University Middle School for Math and Science Public Charter School
Middle school emphasizing preparation for careers in math, science, and engineering.

Potomac Lighthouse Public Charter School
K-12 arts infusion school utilizing the Core Knowledge sequence; developed in partnership with Lighthouse Academies.

Washington Academy PCS
K-6 program emphasizing academics and technology

YouthBuild Public Charter School
Bilingual vocational GED and high school diploma program

The expansion schools:

Friendship Public Charter School - Southeast
Friendship, which has four existing charter schools in D.C., has taken over the recently closed SouthEast Academy PCS. The Southeast campus will serve students in grades K-6.

KIPP DC:AIM Academy Public Charter School
D.C.’s second KIPP school, AIM features an accelerated program to prepare students in grades 5-8 to attend top-ranked college preparatory high schools.

School for Arts in Learning Public Charter School
Integrated academic and arts program for students in grades 6-9. SAIL’s original campus serves grades K-5.

More information on all of these schools is available on the FOCUS web site, www.focusdc.org.

Friends of Choice in Urban Schools
1530 16th Street, NW #104
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 387-0405 phone
(202) 667-3798 fax
www.focusdc.org