A charter school is a publicly funded school operated by a group of parents, teachers and/or community members.
The district's charter schools operate under a contract or "charter" between the charter school Board of Directors and the Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education. The local charter school Board ensures student success through oversight of the school's educational program, financial planning and day to day matters. The district provides support services for these Jeffco students while focusing on end results in student learning, fiscal matter and accountability requirements.
Jeffco Public Schools believes that charter schools strengthen our goal to provide great educational choices for Jeffco families.
Charter School Procedure Manual
For more information about Jeffco charter school processes please refer to the Charter School Procedure Manual.
View a list of current charter schools
Application Process
Any group of parents, teachers and/or community members may develop a charter application. A minimum size is not defined in the charter school law. The school must be nonsectarian and non-home-based. Applications may not be submitted to convert an existing private school or non-public home-based educational program into a charter school.
Starting February 2016, the Charter Application Window for Jefferson County has changed. Applications for new charter schools must be submitted to the district's charter schools liaison or designee by 4:30 pm on March 15, approximately 18 months prior to when the charter school anticipates opening. If March 15 is on a weekend or non-workday, the application is due the first workday following March 15. Applications not submitted by this deadline will not be considered. For this application window, Letters of Intent to apply are due by 4:30 pm on February 1.
The Colorado Department of Education's website has additional information about the application process.
District Policy LBD regarding charter schools can be reviewed here.
New Charter Application and Rubric
Pending Applications 2023
Alexandria School of Innovation
Charter School Renewal Applications
The Colorado Charter School Act stipulates that charter school operate under a contract agreed to by the authorizer's Board of Education (Jeffco) and each school's individual Board of Directors. Charter schools apply for a renewal of their contract on or before December 1st of the year in which their contract expires.
The Jeffco Board of Education accepts renewal applications for study in the December BOE meeting and vote on the renewal application in the February BOE meeting pending a mutual agreement to extend the vote until after the statutory February 1 date.
The following four charter schools will be applying for renewal. The new applications are due December 1, 2022 and will be posted here at that time.
Compass Montessori - Golden
Doral
Excel Academy
Woodrow Wilson Academy
Charter School Office
The district's Charter School Office acts as a liaison between approved charter schools and the school district. It assists charter schools with their interactions with the district, manages the negotiation of contracts and renewals of contracts, the delivery of purchased services to charter schools and the collection of required data and reports from the charter schools. The office also manages the new charter application process and provides the Board of Education with the information needed to make decisions relative to new applications.
Contact
The Charter School Office can be reached at 303-982-6805.
Tom McMillen - Community Superintendent, Charter Schools, 303-982-6654
Helen Poland – Executive Assistant, Charter Schools, 303-982-6805