Six new charter schools have been approved to open their doors in New York City in 2015.
The schools received the sign-off on Wednesday from the SUNY Charter Schools Institute, one of two bodies that can authorize charter schools in New York state. They are chartered to open in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, and will serve more than 2,600 students when they reach full capacity.
The approvals bring the total number of city charter schools approved to open in 2015 to 13. Seven other charter schools are planning to open in the city in 2015 after previously being given the green light by SUNY or the State Education Department, the state’s other charter authorizer.
Three of the six schools approved Wednesday by SUNY are modeled after existing charter schools, something authorizers have increasingly prioritized in their approval process. Research has shown that schools opened by charter operators with proven track records are more likely to succeed.
The replicates are Amber Charter School II, Bronx Charter School for Better Learning II, and Brooklyn Prospect Charter School. A fourth school, the Storefront Academy, is based on a nonprofit private school that enrolls students through an admissions lottery at no cost.
The other two schools are International Charter School of New York, whose founder has been chronicling its path to approval on its blog, and Atmosphere Academy Charter School.
Forty-six more charter schools can open in New York City under state law.
More details about the schools are available here.