Rhode Island's Charter Public Schools Rhode Island's charter schools are public schools authorized by the State of Rhode Island to operate independently from many state and local district rules and regulations. Each charter public school is able to establish educational strategies that meet the specific student achievement goals and objectives outlined in each school's charter. Rhode Island General Law 16-77-5.1(b) designates the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education (the Council) as the authorizer for charter schools. In this capacity, the Council is responsible for charter school approval, renewal and revocation. RIDE is delegated with the authority and responsibility to manage a comprehensive system of charter school accountability, review, monitoring, and system management. With the support of RIDE’s charter team, the Council plays a fundamental role in maintaining and advancing the quality and accountability of the charter sector. Rhode Island is one of only seven states in which the SEA, in conjunction with the State's Board of Education, is the sole authorizer. As the sole authorizer, the Council bears substantial responsibility for balancing the statutory goal of increased autonomy of charter schools against the accountability required by the state and federal authorities. Types of Rhode Island Charter Public Schools District Charter Schools: Schools created by existing public schools, groups of public school personnel, public school districts, or a group of school districts. Independent Charter Schools: Schools created by: (i) Rhode Island nonprofit organizations provided that these nonprofit organizations shall have existed for at least two (2) years and must exist for a substantial reason other than to operate a school or (ii) Colleges or universities within the State of Rhode Island. Mayoral Academies: Schools created by a mayor of any city or town within the State of Rhode Island, acting by or through a nonprofit organization (regardless of the time said nonprofit organization is in existence) to establish a mayoral academy. Attributes of Charter Public Schools The charter public school differs from the traditional public school in the following ways: Autonomy: Charter public schools are created and governed by independent boards and operated separately from the policies of traditional school districts. In exchange for this autonomy, the state has certain expectations. Accountability: Charter public schools are held accountable for meeting student achievement goals and face charter revocation if they under-perform. Choice: Charter public schools provide choice for parents and students seeking alternatives to traditional public education. Innovation: Charter public schools are expected to be vanguards in improving and expanding opportunities within public education. Related Resources Council on Elementary and Secondary Education's Regulations Governing Rhode Island Public Charter Schools [PDF, 74KB] Rhode Island General Laws, Chapters 16-77, 16-77.1, 16-77.2, 16-77.3, and 16-77.4 List of Charter Public Schools Rhode Island charter public schools are free and open to the public. Use the Family Information Tool (FIT) to search through the charter public school options available in Rhode Island. Explore academic programs, compare schools and find more information within each school’s profile. Information for every Rhode Island charter public school can be found in the Family Information Tool. The complete list of charter schools, grades served, their locations and enrolling communities are also listed below. This printable List of Charter Schools in Rhode Island provides information in a single page for all charter public schools, links to each web-page, grade levels served, communities served and charter type NAME GRADES (FALL 2022) GRADES (AUTHORIZED) LOCATION ENROLLING COMMUNITIES Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy Elementary K-4 K-4 370 Hartford Avenue Providence, RI Cranston, North Providence, Providence, Warwick Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy Middle 5-8 5-8 370 Hartford Avenue Providence, RI Cranston, North Providence, Providence, Warwick Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy High 9-10 9-12 315 Laurel Hill Avenue Providence, RI Cranston, North Providence, Providence, Warwick Achievement First Iluminar Mayoral Academy Elementary K-4 K-4 85 Garfield Avenue Cranston, RI Cranston, North Providence, Providence, Warwick Achievement First Iluminar Mayoral Academy Middle 5-8 5-8 85 Garfield Avenue Cranston, RI Cranston, North Providence, Providence, Warwick Achievement First Promesa Mayoral Academy Elementary K-3 K-4 234 Daboll Street Providence, RI Cranston, North Providence, Providence, Warwick Achievement First Envision Mayoral Academy Elementary K-2 K-4 370 Hartford Avenue Providence, RI Providence, North Providence Beacon Charter School 9-12 9-12 320 Main Street Woonsocket, RI Statewide Beacon Founders Academy 6-8 6-8 1 Social Street Woonsocket, RI Statewide Blackstone Academy Charter School 9-12 9-12 334 Pleasant Street Pawtucket, RI Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy - ES1 K-4 K-4 291 Broad Street Cumberland, RI Central Falls, Cumberland, Lincoln, Pawtucket Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy - ES2 K-4 K-4 52 Broad Street Cumberland, RI Central Falls, Cumberland, Lincoln, Pawtucket Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy - ES3 K-4 K-4 3357 Mendon Road Cumberland, RI Central Falls, Cumberland, Lincoln, Pawtucket Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy - Upper Elementary 5-6 5-6 3 Fairlawn Way Lincoln, RI Central Falls, Cumberland, Lincoln, Pawtucket Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy - Junior High 7-8 7-8 909 Lonsdale Avenue Central Falls, RI Central Falls, Cumberland, Lincoln, Pawtucket Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy - HS 9-12 9-12 65 Macondray Street Cumberland, RI Central Falls, Cumberland, Lincoln, Pawtucket Charette High School 9-12 9-12 335 Westminster St Providence, RI Providence Excel Academy 5 K-12 622 Woonasquatucket Ave North Providence, RI 02911 Providence, Central Falls, North Providence Highlander Charter School PK-12 PK-12 Upper School (Grades 7-12) 360 Market Street Warren, RI Lower School (Grades PK-6) 42 Lexington Avenue Providence, RI Statewide Hope Academy K-8 K-8 1000 Eddy Street Providence, RI Providence, North Providence International Charter School K-5 K-8 334 Pleasant Street Pawtucket, RI Statewide Kingston Hill Academy K-5 K-5 850 Stony Fort Road Saunderstown, RI Statewide NEL/CPS Construction & Career Academy 9-12 9-12 4 Sharpe Drive Cranston, RI Statewide Nuestro Mundo Public Charter School K-2 + 6-7 K-8 17-21 Gordon Avenue Providence, RI Providence Paul Cuffee Charter School K-12 K-12 Upper School (Grades 9-12) 544 Elmwood Avenue Providence, RI Middle School (Grades 6-8) 30 Barton Street Providence, RI Lower School (Grades K-5) 459 Promenade Street Providence, RI Providence Providence Preparatory Charter School 5-7 5-8 155 Harrison Street Providence, RI Providence RI Nurses Institute Middle College Charter School 9-12 9-12 150 Washington Street Providence, RI Statewide RISE Prep Mayoral Academy K-7 K-8 30 Cumberland Street Woonsocket, RI Burrillville, North Smithfield, Woonsocket Segue Institute for Learning K-1 + 3-8 K-8 325 Cowden Street Central Falls, RI Central Falls Sheila C. "Skip" Nowell Leadership Academy 9-12 9-12 150 Washington St. Providence, RI Statewide SouthSide Elementary Charter School K-5 K-5 135 Prairie Avenue Providence, RI Providence The Compass School K-8 K-8 537 Old North Road Kingston, RI Statewide The Greene School 9-12 9-12 94 John Potter Road West Greenwich, RI Statewide The Learning Community K-8 K-8 21 Lincoln Avenue Central Falls, RI Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence Times2 Academy K-12 K-12 Middle/High School (Grades 7-12) 50 Fillmore Street Providence, RI Elementary School (Grades K-6) 50 Fillmore Street Providence, RI Providence Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts 7-12 7-12 275 Westminster Street Providence, RI Providence Village Green Virtual Charter School 9-12 9-12 135 Weybosset Street Providence, RI Statewide Starting or Expanding Charter Public Schools Requests for Proposals for New Student Seats The resources on this page are for all charter proposals to open new student seats (new charter schools and expansions). RIDE invites members of the public to submit applications in response to the Request for Proposals for New Charter Seats to open in academic year 2024-25. The authorization process for new and expanding charters is in one centralized document, to help provide consistency and clarity for charter applicants. Executive Summary Submission Deadline (July 3, 2023 5:00 p.m. EST) RIDE will prioritize proposals that focus on increasing the number of high-quality education options for students who would have otherwise attended a school identified as in need of Comprehensive Support and School Improvement and for educationally disadvantaged students: economically-disadvantaged students, differently-abled students, and/or multilingual learners. The executive summary, together with the application cover sheet, must provide an accurate and succinct overview of the proposal. New Seat Application Submission Deadline (August 8, 2023 5:00 p.m. EST) Proposal submissions are due on August 8, 2023. Please see Submission Instructions for more information on how to submit a proposal. Any proposal received after the deadline will not be considered. All complete proposals will be posted to the RIDE webpage. RIDE reserves the right to reject substantially incomplete proposals The 2023 Request for Proposals for New Student Seats can be found here The budget template can be sent upon request to RICharters@ride.ri.gov The Charter School Readiness Handbook is available upon request Technical Assistance Any party that has specific questions, interest in future proposal opportunities, or questions about the process should email RICharters@ride.ri.gov. CHARTER SCHOOL PROGRAM GRANT STARTUP INFORMATION Information about the Charter School Program grant will be made available soon. Please email RICharters@ride.ri.gov with any questions. Charter Public School Proposals Under Review and Public Hearings RIDE’s Office of School Opportunities will post completed applications here in Late August 2023. At that time, we invite members of the public to provide written public comments on the completed charter proposals. Comments and statements may be submitted by e-mail to RICharters@ride.ri.gov, by mail to RIDE at 255 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903 Attn: Office of School Opportunities or at public hearings, to be scheduled by RIDE pursuant to R.I.G.L § 16-77.2-3; 16-77.3-3 and 16-77.4-3. Charter Public School Resources and Lottery Resources for Families and Community Visit EnrollRI.org/charter to learn more! Enrollment in a charter public school is nonselective and conducted by random lottery. Use the Family Information Tool (FIT) to find the school(s) that meets the performance, accessibility, and programmatic targets you are seeking. Next, use the EnrollRI Common Application to apply to any participating charter schools you are interested in and for which your child is eligible to attend. Participating charter schools will hold their 2023-2024 admissions lotteries on April 3, 2022 and will communicate your student’s enrollment status soon after that time. If a charter public school you are interested in is not currently participating in the EnrollRI Common Application, reach out to the school directly to apply. State of Rhode Island's Charter Public Schools: a report providing data and descriptive information on charter public schools across Rhode Island. - April 2014 [PDF] Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): This document addresses many common questions about charter public schools in Rhode Island. [PDF] Resources for Charter School Administrators Governance Handbook Lottery and Enrollment Guidance Charter Public School Accountability Charter Public School Accountability In addition to being classified just as any other Rhode Island public school, charter public schools are reviewed and held accountable for meeting student academic and organizational performance goals and face charter revocation or non renewal if they under-perform. If successful, each charter may be granted a term for up to 5 years. Please review the Charter Performance Review System Handbook for more detail on the charter performance indicators and information about the renewal process. Charter public schools in Rhode Island are held to common measures of academic, financial and organizational performance. Specifically: Student Academic Performance Financial Performance Organizational Performance Legal, Regulatory and Charter Contract Compliance The handbook has been updated to reflect the revised Statewide Accountability System in alignment with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Each year beginning with the 2016-17 school year, RIDE compiles an annual Charter School Performance Dashboard, for each charter public school, based on the indicators above. The report template can be found here. Sharing Practice Urban Core Education Summit The Rhode Island Department of Education served as host to a meeting series called the "The Urban Core Education Summit," where we laid the foundation for collaboration between school leaders in Providence Public Schools, Central Falls Public Schools, and charter schools in those cities. This initiative launched in Summer 2021 and is ongoing. The core objectives are relationship building and identifying common areas for further discussion and potential collaboration. The summit is facilitated by Dr. Kenneth Wong, Annenberg Professor and Director of the Urban Education Policy program at Brown University. For further questions and/or comments, please contact RICharters@ride.ri.gov. Any other examples of Sharing Practices between Charters and Traditional Schools that you want to share? Please contact RICharters@ride.ri.gov. We would love to share it! Pending Major Amendments - Public Feedback Needed No pending major amendments at this time - Please check back at a later date.