NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) is leading the nation and the state in academic growth. It was ranked in the 99th percentile nationally for reading growth and the 98th percentile nationally for math growth from 2022 to 2025 by the 2026 Education Scorecard. Students are learning at an accelerated pace of 1.35 grade levels per year, which is in the 98th percentile nationally. There has been tremendous growth, but there is still much work to do to have all NOLA-PS students achieving and thriving at a high level.  

Every student in New Orleans deserves equal access to high-quality schools that foster their individual capabilities, promote their physical and mental wellness, and prepare them for civic, social, and economic success. In short, all students deserve schools that will allow them to thrive.  Please view the Profile At-a-Glance for Charter Applicants for more information on the district.  

The letter of intent and eligibility documentation is due to NOLA Public Schools Request For Applications by September 29, 2026.  If you are interested in applying after the deadline for applications has passed, you may view the materials from previous charter cycles 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 years' applications.

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 2026 RFA Cycle

In compliance with R.S. 17:3982, the Orleans Parish School Board is making public through our website and in printed form upon request, the guidelines for submitting a charter proposal, all forms required for submission of a charter proposal, the timelines established for accepting and reviewing charter proposals, the process that will be used to review charter proposals submitted to the board, and the name and contact information for a primary point of contact for charter proposals.

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. 

Application materials are below. If you have any questions please contact Anne-Lise McCarver at amccarver@nolapublicschools.com. 

The Application
The documents linked below are needed to complete a charter application.  They are attached in Word to make it easier for applicants to copy the questions into their own documents, but applicants are required to submit their documents via PDF, except for the Overview Template.  

The Eligibility Documentation, which includes the directions for what to include in the Letter of Intent, is due by September 29, 2026 by 12:00PM Central Time.  

• 2026 Eligibility Documentation
  

The full application is due by October 19, 2026 by 12:00PM Central Time.  Those materials are below:

• 2026 New Operator Charter Application
• 2026 Experienced Operator Charter Application
• 2026 Overview Template:  All applicant groups must complete this Excel workbook and submit it along with the rest of the group's application materials.
  

After submitting an application:
After the submission of a Type 1 or Type 3 charter school application, each applicant shall provide notice to the LDoE.  Submission to LDoE should be completed using this Jotform link: https://ldoeforms.jotform.com/242324710353144 

Additional Resources:

NOLA-PS New Operator Standards, 2026
NOLA-PS Experienced Operator Standards, 2026
LDoE's New Operator Self-Assessment Completeness Check Template
LDoE's Experienced Operator Self-Assessment Completeness Check Template 

NOLA Public Schools Profile-at-a-Glance, 2024

Louisiana Department of Education's Charter Applicant Toolbox