The U.S. Department of Education announced new grants totaling approximately $245 million under its Charter Schools Program, which funds the creation and expansion of public charter schools across the nation. The grants are being awarded to state educational agencies and charter management organizations.

The CSP supports the creation of high-quality public charter schools by providing start-up funds for new charter schools, strengthening accountability for charter school performance, sharing leading practices that enable school success, and ultimately, improving educational outcomes for students from high-need communities. The CSP has invested over $3 billion since the program’s inception in 1995 to states and charter school developers. In the past decade, CSP investments have enabled the launch of over 2,500 charter schools, serving approximately one million students. Through the CSP, the Department is committed to supporting the continued growth of excellent public charter schools that are closing equity gaps and improving student outcomes, and these schools’ community engagement and public accountability.

“Ensuring that all students have access to an academically challenging and engaging education is critical to preparing them for college and career success,” said U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. “Innovative charter schools are continuously developing new and impactful practices to close achievement gaps and provide all students with the skills and abilities they need to thrive. We are proud to support these efforts along with strong charter school authorizing and accountability, particularly given these grantees’ commitment to communities facing steep academic challenges.”

This year’s state grant program awarded approximately $177 million in new grants to eight states. The investments will enable each state to run its own grant competition for charter school operators to support approximately 490 new and expanded public charter schools.

This year’s CSP replication and expansion program awarded approximately $68 million in new grants to 15 high-quality, non-profit charter management organizations that serve students from low-income families. Today’s grantees have demonstrated success in serving students with significant educational needs and today’s grant awards will enable these organizations to open and expand approximately 180 new schools. Some of these charter management organizations are new CSP grantees, such as The Friends of the Bronx Charter School for Excellence, whose Bronx Charter School for Excellence was selected in 2012 as a National Blue Ribbon School. Today’s investments will enable their expansion from two schools to nine schools, ultimately serving approximately 3,000 students in New York and Connecticut. Today’s grantees also include IDEA Public Schools—a  two-time prior grantee under this program, a 2015 Bright Spot in Hispanic Education, and the recipient of the 2016 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools. IDEA will use today’s award to support the creation of 18 schools in Texas and Louisiana serving over 14,000 students. In addition, this funding will enable IDEA to evaluate its growth and expansion strategies, including its impact on student outcomes, college readiness and teacher and student retention.

Please see below for the list of grantees, first year grant amounts, and total recommended funding (contingent on future Congressional appropriations).

State Educational Agency Grantees:

*Note: Grantees are deferred FY 2015 applicants.

Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools Grantees:

*Note: Grantee is a deferred FY 2014 applicant.
**State reflects where the organization is based; school expansion sites funded under this grant may differ.