GAO reports changes to District of Columbia charter school accountability

The Government Accountability Office published the report Thursday 05 November 2026. It described changes by the DC Public Charter School Board to charter applications, academic accountability, monitoring and annual reporting during the last 5 years.

The board changed its charter application process during the last 5 years. It began requiring applicants to demonstrate a need for a charter school, added a preapplication process and shifted the application timeline from spring to fall. The board uses interviews and public hearings to screen applicants and evaluates them against decision criteria.

Two schools applied for new charters during the last 5 years, and the board denied both applications. In the previous 5 years, from 2016 to 2021, the board received 30 applications and approved 11. Board officials attributed the reduced number of applications to the more rigorous application process. The board received no applications for the 2026 application cycle.

The board introduced the Annual School Performance Index Report and Evaluation, or ASPIRE, system in 2024 to strengthen accountability for school performance and student development. The board uses ASPIRE to identify schools that need additional monitoring or support. The system calculates performance measures by student groups, including students with disabilities and multilingual learners, rather than for all students combined.

Almost one-half of DC’s public-school students were enrolled in 133 charter schools. The District of Columbia, School Reform Act of 1995 requires the board to review and approve charter applications, monitor charter schools and submit annual reports. The board is DC’s sole chartering authority.

The District of Columbia Appropriations Act of 2005 requires GAO to review DC’s chartering authorities every 5 years. GAO reviewed the 2026 Charter Application Guidelines, Charter Review and Charter Renewal guidelines and policy documents related to ASPIRE. It also compared the board’s 2026 Annual Report with School Reform Act requirements and interviewed the board’s chair and staff.