News & Research

Rochester Charter School Lottery Deadline is April 1

Lottery DeadlineRochester, NY—March 18, 2026 – The Rochester charter school lottery deadline is 11:59 pm on Tuesday, April 1. Parents may apply to all 27 locations at GoodSchoolsRoc.org for the 2026-27 school year. Parents are encouraged to apply by the lottery deadline when schools have the most openings and families have the best chance of being accepted at the school of their choice.

Rochester charter schools have more than 2,000 openings for the coming school year. More than 9,000 children are enrolled in Rochester’s K-12 charter schools.

Applications are currently being accepted for all grades, with nearly 1,000 openings at the Kindergarten level. While students may apply to a charter school at any point during their academic career, families who choose a charter school for Kindergarten are often accepted into their first choice school.

GoodSchoolsRoc.org promotes school choice, providing a centralized website for parents to learn about and apply to all Rochester charter schools. The website features information about academics, grade levels, extracurricular and after school activities for all Rochester’s K-12 charter schools.

Families may apply to as many schools as they want by using a simple online application tool. Applying is free and takes only minutes to complete. The application is accessible in English, Spanish, and 12 other languages on any web-enabled device.

Charter schools are free public schools. There are no tests or entrance fees for charter schools and charters welcome students who need extra help in school, have IEPs and are English language learners.

Parents may apply to the following schools through GoodSchoolsRoc.org for 2026-27 (some have more than one location):

  • Academy of Health Sciences Charter School, grades 5-8
  • BRICK Rochester Academy Charter School, grades K-1 (expanding to grade 12)
  • Citizenship & Science Academy of Rochester Charter School, grades K-6 (expanding to grade 12)
  • Discovery Charter School, grades K-6
  • Eugenio María de Hostos Charter School, grades K-12
  • Exploration Elementary Charter School for Science & Technology, grades K-5
  • Genesee Community Charter Schools, grades K-6
  • Green Tech Rochester Elementary Charter School for Boys, grades K-1 (expanding to 5th grade)
  • Innova Girls Academy Charter School, grades K-5 (expanding to grade 6)
  • Renaissance Academy Charter School of the Arts, grades K-6
  • Rochester Academy Charter School (RACS), grades K-12
  • Rochester Academy of Science Charter School (RocSci), grades K-5 & 9-12 (expanding to a full K-12)
  • Rochester Prep Charter School, grades K-12
  • University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men, grades 6-12
  • Vertus High School, grades 9-12
  • Young Women’s College Prep Charter School, grades 7-12

For more information, visit the website (https://www.goodschoolsroc.org/) or call the GoodSchoolsRoc HelpLine at (585) 491-9777.

GoodSchoolsRoc is a program of EDceptional, the only charter sector support organization in Rochester, helping charter schools to achieve enrollment goals and academic excellence. Believing that literacy is the foundation of all learning, the organization provides strategic support, professional development, and targeted programming to help every child achieve reading proficiency. Visit www.edceptional.org.

Media Contact: Aimee J. Lewis (585) 414-9838 or aimee.lewis@gmail.com