SUNY Charter Schools Institute

What SUNY Charter Schools Institute does

The SUNY Charter Schools Institute is a state government entity within the State University of New York (SUNY) system, headquartered at the H. Carl McCall SUNY Building at 353 Broadway in Albany, New York. Founded in 2012, the Institute serves as one of New York State's charter school authorizers under the New York Charter Schools Act of 1998, overseeing a portfolio of 167 SUNY-authorized charter schools serving over 117,000 students across New York City, Long Island, the Capital Region, Buffalo, and Rochester. Its primary functions include evaluating charter applications through a Request for Proposals process, conducting school visit evaluations, managing accountability frameworks, issuing renewal recommendations, and providing compliance oversight to charter school education corporations.

The Institute's core technology products include SUNY Compass (a compliance and accountability platform for charter schools), Epicenter (an internal user management system), the Academic Dashboard (a performance measurement tool comparing SUNY charter school ELA and mathematics outcomes against local district and statewide results using effect size analysis), and the Comparative Performance Analysis (a regression-based tool benchmarking charter school performance against demographically similar public schools). The Institute maintains a public-facing website (newyorkcharters.org), publishes the annual 2024-25 Annual Report, and distributes the 'More Great Seats 4 Kids' weekly newsletter and podcast series. The organization is led by Executive Director Kathryn Connell-Espinosa, who advanced through internal roles over a 9-year tenure before assuming the permanent directorship in June 2023.

The Institute operates on a non-commercial funding model as a state government entity, receiving appropriations through the SUNY system and not charging fees for charter authorization or oversight services. Its customer segments include charter school operators, families and prospective families, charter school board members, school leaders, prospective charter applicants, and researchers and policymakers. The Institute faces an ongoing United Federation of Teachers lawsuit challenging SUNY's statutory authority over charter school transfers, representing a material regulatory risk to its operating model.

Name

SUNY Charter Schools Institute

Legal name

State University of New York Charter Schools Institute

Website

https://newyorkcharters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The SUNY Charter Schools Institute is a state government entity within the State University of New York system that authorizes and oversees 167 charter schools serving over 117,000 students across New York State. It provides accountability, compliance oversight, and performance evaluation through platforms including SUNY Compass and the Academic Dashboard.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Regulatory Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter School Authorizers & Oversight Boards (EDADABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accreditation Evaluation, Peer Review & Site-Visit Organizations (EDADACAI)

Keywords

• Charter school authorization
• Education oversight services
• School accountability reporting
• Compliance monitoring platform
• Academic performance evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

New Albany

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The SUNY Charter Schools Institute authorizes and oversees public charter schools across New York State on behalf of the SUNY Board of Trustees. It manages the full charter lifecycle—application review, approval, renewal recommendations, school visit evaluations, fiscal and compliance oversight, and accountability reviews—and provides resources to charter school leaders, board members, families, and applicants through its website, the SUNY Compass and Epicenter internal platforms, the Academic Dashboard, and the "More Great Seats 4 Kids" newsletter and podcast.

Product overview

The SUNY Charter Schools Institute is a charter school authorizer that operates through an informational website and internal platforms rather than commercial products. The organization provides charter school authorization services, accountability tools (Academic Dashboard, Comparative Performance Analysis), compliance management (SUNY Compass, Epicenter), and communication resources (More Great Seats 4 Kids Podcast). The Academic Dashboard and Comparative Performance Analysis tools enable researchers and stakeholders to evaluate school performance through statistical analysis comparing SUNY charter schools to district and statewide averages using effect size methodologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SUNY Charter School Authorization and Oversight Services Statutory charter authorization, renewal, and oversight services for public charter schools in New York State, conducted under the SUNY Board of Trustees' Charter Schools Committee. Includes application review, approval, renewal recommendations, school visit evaluations, and fiscal and compliance oversight for SUNY-authorized charter schools.
• Academic Dashboard Performance measurement tool presenting comparative and growth measures for SUNY-authorized charter schools, comparing English language arts and mathematics performance to local districts and statewide results using effect size analysis against accountability plan goals.
• Comparative Performance Analysis Regression analysis tool comparing SUNY charter school performance to similar public schools statewide using mean scale scores and effect size calculations based on economically disadvantaged student statistics.
• SUNY Compass Internal platform for charter schools to manage accountability plans, compliance reporting, and facility questionnaires.
• Epicenter Internal user management system used by the SUNY Charter Schools Institute and charter school users to manage Epicenter accounts, including adding and removing members.
• More Great Seats 4 Kids Podcast and Newsletter Weekly newsletter and podcast series covering Institute news, analysis, school spotlights, interviews with charter school leaders, best practices, and coverage of educational initiatives for the SUNY charter school community.
• 2024-25 Annual Report Annual report documenting SUNY-authorized charter school performance outcomes and Institute activities for the 2024-25 year.

Quantifiable outcome

• SUNY-authorized schools outperform state averages by 15-30 percentage points in ELA and 14-34 percentage points in Math across regions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Children's Aid College Prep Charter SchoolminorOthersChildren's Aid College Prep Charter School serves 648 students in Grades K-8 in Bronx CSD 12. The school partnered with families through weekly virtual workshops to support remote learning, demonstrating community engagement practices that align with Institute guidance on family communication.
• Public Prep Charter School AcademiesminorOthersPublic Prep Charter School Academies is an education corporation operating multiple charter schools. The organization partnered with Brilla College Preparatory Charter School for a joint high school program before transitioning to operate Vertex Partnership Academies under its own charter.
• National Charter School Resource CenterminorOthersListed as a community resource available to parents, educators, and government officials seeking information on SUNY charter schools.
• National Alliance for Public Charter SchoolsminorOthersListed as a community resource and national advocacy organization for public charter schools.
• New York Charter Schools AssociationminorOthersListed as a state-level resource organization supporting charter schools in New York.
• New York State Charter Parent CouncilminorOthersListed as a parent-focused resource for families interested in charter school options.
• New York City Charter School CenterminorOthersListed as a NYC-focused organization providing support and resources to charter schools in the metropolitan area.
• Gilder Lehrman InstituteminorOthersPartnership offering the Affiliate School Program to all 167 SUNY-authorized schools, providing access to the largest private collection of primary source documents on the Revolutionary War.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Colorado Charter School Institute: State-level charter authorizer in Colorado that authorizes and oversees charter schools statewide. Directly comparable to SUNY CSI in scope and function as a state-authorizing entity.
• South Carolina Public Charter School District: An independent state-level charter school authorizer in South Carolina that performs charter application review, oversight, renewal, and revocation functions paralleling SUNY CSI's mandate in New York.
• Indiana Charter School Board: State-level independent charter authorizer in Indiana with application review, renewal decision, and accountability oversight responsibilities analogous to SUNY CSI's role in New York.
• District of Columbia Public Charter School Board: An independent charter-authorizing body in Washington DC that evaluates applications, monitors performance, and decides renewals/revocations. Operates a comparable authorizer mandate, accountability framework, and school performance reporting function to SUNY CSI.
• New York State Education Department (NYSED) Charter School Office: The other major charter school authorizer in New York State (alongside the NYC DOE). Directly comparable to SUNY CSI as a state-level authorizer competing for the same pool of charter applications and renewal oversight authority under NY law.

Broad incumbents

• National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: National advocacy organization representing the broader charter school sector and influencing authorizer policy across states. Listed by SUNY CSI as a community resource; comparable as a charter ecosystem stakeholder shaping the regulatory environment SUNY CSI operates within.
• National Charter School Resource Center: Federally funded national resource hub supporting charter school authorizers, operators, and developers. Comparable as a peer in serving authorizer functions and providing tools/research to oversight bodies like SUNY CSI.

Others

• National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA): National membership and standards-setting body for charter authorizers. Comparable to SUNY CSI as a peer organization defining authorizer quality standards, though it operates as an industry association rather than an active authorizer.

Regional players

• New York Charter Schools Association: New York state-level charter sector membership and advocacy organization working alongside SUNY CSI in the same geography. Comparable as a stakeholder organization engaging on charter policy and operator support within the same regulatory ecosystem.
• New York City Charter School Center: NYC-focused charter school support and advocacy organization. Directly engaged with SUNY-authorized schools operating in NYC; comparable as a regional peer supporting the same operator ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SUNYCharters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/suny-charter-schools-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SUNY Charter Schools Institute