The Colorado League of Charter Schools is distributing $68 million in federal education funding to help Colorado expand opportunities for students to attend high-quality public charter schools that meet and exceed state academic standards.
The funding is part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Charter Schools Program (CSP), and the funds are distributed through the League’s five-year “Great Schools Colorado” project. The program will award up to 30 subgrants focusing on two objectives:
Increasing the number of high-quality charter schools and high-quality charter school seats in Colorado with an emphasis on how programs drive academic outcomes for educationally disadvantaged and at-risk students.
Improving the quality of Colorado’s charter school sector and intensifying its impact on overall school quality and school improvement across the state.
Utilizing a competitive grant process. Great Schools Colorado will award CSP subgrants to charter school developers in Colorado to carry out one of the following activities in the state:
Open and prepare for the operation of new charter schools;
Open and prepare for the operation of replicated high-quality charter schools; or
Expand high-quality charter schools
Items coming in 2025:
Resources & Training
Special Populations in Colorado Charter Schools User Guide.
Specialized support for authorizers of schools with unique educational models.
High National Ranking
High National Ranking
A 2023 study found Colorado’s charter schools to be the second highest-performing in the nation when comparing charter school student performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam to national averages.
Outperformance in Reading and Math
A 2023 national study conducted by the Center for Research on Educational Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University found that Colorado charter school students outperformed their demographically similar peers attending traditional public schools in both Reading (with performance gains equating to what would be an additional 15 days of learning annually) and Math (13 additional days of learning annually).
Success in High-Poverty Schools
Charter schools with high concentrations of low-income students were more than three times likelier than high-poverty district schools to achieve a Performance Plan rating, the highest tier, on the Colorado School Performance Framework (SPF) - 2022 report published by the Keystone Policy Center.
Community Feedback Matters to Us
In collaboration with an authorizer-support organization, CLCS will develop a tool for authorizers to gather community feedback on new school proposals. This feedback will help guide pipeline development, shape innovative school models, and identify areas for additional support.
The Colorado League of Charter Schools will distribute $68M in federal funding through “Great Schools Colorado,” supporting 30 high-quality charter schools statewide. Read the full press release here.
Interest Form: Interested in Great Schools Colorado? If you are a potential subgrantee and/or are interested in learning more about our upcoming cohort, upcoming presentations at the Annual Conference, or just want to learn more about what it may take to apply, please fill out our INTEREST FORM HERE.