Students sitting at their desks in a classroom
Students sitting at their desks in a classroom
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SCHOOLS
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SCHOOLS
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NOLA Public Schools has led a dramatic increase in the number of students meeting academic proficiency standards, and the performance gap between students in Orleans Parish and Louisiana as a whole has dramatically decreased between 2005-2019.  The impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic have hit urban districts particularly hard, however, and New Orleans is no exception.  Despite previous academic gains, additional progress is needed.   

Every student in New Orleans deserves equal access to high quality schools where their interests will come first, where they and their families will have choice, and where educators will have the tools and support they need to be successful.  Please view the Profile At-a-Glance for Charter Applicants for more information on the district.  

The NOLA Public Schools Request For Applications will begin on September 7, 2022 and a detailed timeline is provided below. If you are interested in applying after the deadline for applications has passed, you may use the materials and information from previous charter cycles below as a reference, however, please note that the application may be updated annually, and thus there may be changes to the upcoming cycle's application in comparison with the previous year's application.

District Authorizing Priorities

The Orleans Parish School Board regularly adopts a set of district authorizing priorities to guide its charter authorization process. These priorities outline what the district seeks in operators to expand high-quality options for families. Setting clear District Authorizing Priorities informs recruitment strategies for new operators and expansion of existing operators; provides transparency in the charter application process of the district’s objectives; and informs the Superintendent’s decision to approve new schools. 


Please note the following section from the District Authorizing Priorities (entire document is linked below):

NOLA Public Schools is committed to the optimization of the district.  This means that by making strategic portfolio decisions families have high-quality options, schools have the funding they need for improved programming and teacher salaries, and buildings are of the highest quality and are being fully utilized.  As such, the district is seeking to have a strong bench of operators available to transform a school, should the need arise.  While the district does not anticipate newly approved charter applicants opening new schools in the near future, applicants for new schools are welcome to apply.

District Authorizing Priorities

Fall 2022 RFA Cycle

Any organization or individual may become eligible to submit an application by meeting specific eligibility requirements as outlined in the Eligibility Determination document and submitting a Letter of Intent. In order to be eligible to submit a full application in the NOLA Public Schools' Fall 2022 Charter Request for Applications process all Eligibility Determination and Letter of Intent are due in the Edlusion Application Portal by October 14, 2022 at 12PM CST. Application materials are available below for organizations' reference. If you have any questions please contact Anne-Lise McCarver at amccarver@nolapublicschools.com. 

Charter RFA Applicant Training 

Eligibility Determination
Letter of Intent
Edlusion Portal

Additional application materials will be forthcoming.  

For assistance with the Edlusion Portal, please see this user guide. For a link to a training video on the Edlusion Application Portal, please e-mail Anne-Lise McCarver at amccarver@nolapublicschools.com

Additional Resources:

Louisiana Department of Education's Charter Applicant Toolbox

Definitions of New Application, Replication: New Application, Replication: Automatic, Expansion: Additional SeatsDefinitions of New Application, Replication: New Application, Replication: Automatic, Expansion: Additional SeatsDefinitions of New Application, Replication: New Application, Replication: Automatic, Expansion: Additional SeatsApplication Tracks: Track & Qualifications for New Operators and Experienced OperatorsCharter Types, including Type 3 Conversion, Type 1 New Start, Type 1 Transformation, Type 1 Transformation (Full Takeover), Type 1 Transformation (Reconfiguration)Application RequirementsApplication Requirements Continued

Spring 2022 RFA Cycle

Eligibility Determination
Letter of Intent
Edlusion Application Portal

Overview Template-All applicant groups must complete this document and submit along with the rest of the group's application materials.  
New Operator Application PDF
Experienced Operator Application PDF
Virtual School Operator Application PDF







Spring 2022 Submitted Applications

Spring 2021 RFA Cycle

For information on the Spring 2021 RFA Cycle, please review this presentation.   
School Development Overview - 2021

Eligibility Determination

Letter of Intent
Edlusion Application Portal
Spring 2021 Charter Application
Spring 2021 RFA Evaluation Standards
Louisiana Department of Education Evaluation Standards



Spring 2021 Submitted Applications

Spring 2020 RFA Cycle

Charter Applicant Eligibility Form
Sample Letter of Intent
Spring 2020 Charter RFA Full Application
Spring 2020 RFA Evaluation Rubric and Evaluation Information

Supplemental Materials:

Experienced Operator Template

New Operator Template

Board Roles Template

Finances Template

Budget Narrative Guidance


Applicants who have approved Letters of Intent and Eligibility Documentation have been provided a link to the application on the EdLusion Portal.  


Spring 2020 Submitted Applications


Past RFA Cycles


Additional Cycles can be found in our archive website: previous.opsb.us – for additional information please consider filing a public records request.

Start a Charter School

The Fall 2022 charter application cycle opened September 7, 2022 with the Letter of Intent and Eligibility Determination due by October 14, 2022.  The full application is due by October 28, 2022.  Resources from prior application cycles are available further down on this page. 

District Primary Contact

For any questions regarding opening a charter school in New Orleans, and/or the application process, please contact Anne-Lise McCarver at amccarver@nolapublicschools.com.    

Contact

Report Fraud

Department of Children and Family Services

Call 1-855-4LA-KIDS (1-855-452-5437) to report child abuse and neglect.

Report Abuse

Hotline Number for Parents
504-527-KIDS

School-based issues or concerns from parents

24-hour Hotline Number for Community
504-522-HELP

School and District based concerns, feedback, & inquiries from school staff or community members

External Resources

NOLA Public Schools. Every Child. Every School. Every Day.

2401 Westbend Parkway
New Orleans, Louisiana 70114

Phone: 504-304-5612

Phone: 504-304-3520

Hotline Number for Parents
504-527-KIDS

School-based issues or concerns from parents

24-hour Hotline Number for Community
504-522-HELP
District based community concerns, feedback, & inquiries from school staff or community members