2023 Request For Proposals for New Charter and Contract Schools

As the local school district in Chicago, CPS serves as the charter authorizer for the city. Illinois Charter School Law requires review of all charter school proposals submitted to Illinois school districts. CPS releases an annual request for proposals designed to review new school applications, provides recommendations to the Chicago Board of Education on new school proposals, and provides oversight to authorized charter schools. CPS uses this RFP as its mechanism to accept proposals and meet the Illinois statutory requirement. The Office of Innovation and Incubation (I&I) is the office within CPS that oversees charter school authorization and oversight for the district.

CPS is one of the nation’s largest school districts and a national leading charter authorizer, implementing all essential practices established by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers critical to fostering high-performing charter schools. Currently, I&I oversees a portfolio of 98 charter and contract schools, serving over 55,000 students citywide.

The 2023 Request for Proposals

This RFP seeks proposals from development teams and existing operators who wish to open a charter school.

The application is available for download here. A key timeline of the RFP process is available below:

Please contact 773-553-1530 or contactiandi@cps.edu with any additional questions. Prospective applicants are required to request office hours via the form linked here.

Request For Proposal Process Timeline 2023

Each stage of the proposal submission and evaluation process is included in the timeline below. Please note that dates are subject to change.