What is a charter school?

A charter school is a free, public school that accepts higher degrees of accountability in exchange for fewer  bureaucratic regulations. Catering specifically to its student body, a charter school has greater flexibility in scheduling, curriculum design, teacher development and retention, and administrative procedure. Students applicants are offered admission by lottery. Charter Schools are authorized and held accountable by an official agency in the state. Brooklyn Prospect is the first community-based charter school to be certified by the State University of New York Charter School Institute since 2005.

How are charter schools funded?

Because they are public schools, charter schools are funded by the New York State Department of Education based on student enrollment.

State funding follows students as they choose their middle school. Brooklyn Prospect receives approximately $12,000 per student (more for low income students and students with special needs), yet additional funds must be raised by our school because this per student stipend is less than that expended for a student enrolled in non-chartered public school. Fundraising supports Brooklyn Prospect’s expanded academic programs, our facility needs and allows the school to best serve our middle school students.

Whom does Brooklyn Prospect serve?

Brooklyn Prospect is located in CSD 15 which includes Park Slope, Gowanus, Sunset Park, Red Hook, Windsor Terrace and parts of Downtown Brooklyn. Brooklyn Prospect opened to sixth grade students in the fall of 2009.  The school plans to grow a grade each year until 2015 when we will serve grades six through twelve.

In the fall of 2011 we will open with a sixth, seventh and eighth grade. Students who reside in District 15 and apply for our lottery will be eligible to enroll at Brooklyn Prospect; once those district resident applicants are seated, we will admit student applicants who applied for our lottery from other districts. Each year we anticipate admitting approximately one hundred students into the sixth grade and will admit as many students into our other grades as there are seats available.

We expect to reach a full capacity of approximately seven hundred students and serve grades six through twelve in fall 2015. Utilizing the state lottery system, Brooklyn Prospect's goal is to serve a student population that mirrors the  demographics of the surrounding community.

Where is Brooklyn Prospect located?

Brooklyn Prospect Charter School is  located in the new multi-million dollar Sunset Park High School facility at153 35th Street for its first two school years (2009/10 and 2010/11). Because finding real estate is a challenging issue in New York City, we are pursuing multiple strategies simultaneously to find permanent space in which to grow to scale.

What distinguishes Brooklyn Prospect Charter School?

Supported by a collaborative faculty of high-quality professional educators, students are immersed in a rigorous academic curriculum based on the International Baccalaureate program and specifically designed to prepare students for success in the emerging global community.

My child has an IEP or is receiving other special services, can you accommodate his/her needs?

We work with the student’s Committee on Special Education to accommodate our students and their individual learning needs. 

Does your school provide services for English Language Learners?

Services are available to support children who are English Language Learners.