Charter School Development

Charter School Development Resources

Interested in starting, expanding, or replicating a charter school in Colorado? The Schools of Choice Unit has put together a variety of resources and contacts to help support charter school developers. Although this is not an exhaustive list, these resources could help provide guidance in exploring what is needed to begin the planning process.

If you have additional questions about these resources or the planning process please email us at: soc@cde.state.co.us.

Upcoming Charter Development Summit (formerly known as Bootcamp) 2023: 

Join us for the annual Charter Development Summit,  featuring 3 virtual modules and 1 culminating, in-person summit!​

Formerly known as the Charter School Bootcamp,  the Summit is reaching more attendees by presenting relevant information for existing schools looking to expand or replicate, new school developers and key stakeholders in your charter school organization. Our goal is to prepare leaders in education, for high-quality and exceptional accountability for charter school development and success.

The format for the event has changed from a singular, in person event to a hybrid of options for those planning to open a charter school and those already operating a Colorado charter school.  REGISTER HERE

• Past CDE Charter School Bootcamps

CDE/Community Training and Assistance Center Mentoring Opportunity:​

(SOC) Unit at CDE has contracted with the Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC)  to provide free coaching services to new, replicating, and/or expanding charter schools.  Coaches are coupled with developers to evaluate challenges and present best practices in charter school operations.  During each coaching session, a school’s needs are evaluated individually – within the context of the distinct challenges presented with opening a new school or expanding/replicating an existing high quality school - to support in a school’s planning.  Please reach out to the Schools of Choice at soc@cde.state.co.us if you are interested in pursuing this opportunity.

CDE/Collaborative for Exceptional Education Special Education Learning Series: From Policy to Practice Changing Beliefs about Charter Schools’ Inclusivity of Diverse Learners:

In response to the recent research and OCR complaints around enrollment of special education students in charter schools, CDE's Schools of Choice office and the Collaborative for Exceptional Education have designed a special leadership series of virtual training and support titled “From Policy to Practice: Changing Beliefs about Charter Schools’ Inclusivity of Diverse Learners”. Please join us each month as we examine policies and practices that can lead to negative perceptions and even potential liability while also offering strategies and solutions that can positively communicate inclusive messages while protecting the school against legal and financial risk.  Recordings of previous sessions and registration for upcoming sessions.

Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers Resources:

This mission of the Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers (CACSA) is to promote and support best practices in charter school authorizing and to help all Colorado charter school authorizers develop, adopt, and implement practices that improve results for all students.

Colorado League of Charter Schools Resource Library:

The Colorado League of Charter Schools provides support and resources for new, existing, and expanding charter schools. 

National Charter School Resource Center: 

NCSRC is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education's Charter School Programs (CSP) and is a source for high-quality charter school resources and CSP grantee technical assistance.