Friends Of Choice In Urban Schools (FOCUS)

DID YOU KNOW?
38% of all D.C. public school children are educated in public charter schools.

Washington, D.C., has a higher share of children in public charter schools than any other big U.S. city except New Orleans.

DID YOU KNOW?
Charter schools are independent public schools that are free to innovate and held accountable for improved student performance.

Charter schools are public schools, just a different kind. They receive public funds according to how many students they enroll. To learn more, play the video.

DID YOU KNOW?
Friends of Choice in Urban Schools is a 501(c)3 nonprofit registered in the District of Columbia.

FOCUS advocates for school reform in the District via the development of high-quality public charter schools.

DID YOU KNOW?
D.C. public charter schools have higher shares of economically disadvantaged and minority students than the city-run public schools.

The highest-performing open-enrollment high school and middle school in D.C. are both public charter schools. To learn more, play the video.

DID YOU KNOW?
D.C.’s public charter schools outperform the city’s traditional public schools from the 5th grade up.

The average child who enters a D.C. public charter school is three or four grade levels behind.

To learn more, click on our school quality dashboard.

DID YOU KNOW?
85% of D.C.’s public charter high school graduates are accepted to college and many D.C. charters have 100% of their graduating class accepted to college.

The high-school graduation rate for D.C. public charter schools is 17 percentage points higher than D.C.’s regular public high schools.