ND ANCHOR, which stands for Authorizing North Dakota Charters for High-Quality Outcomes and Results, is the framework North Dakota uses to authorize and oversee public charter schools. In April 2025, the North Dakota Legislative Assembly passed Senate Bill 2241, authorizing public charter schools in the state for the first time. The law is now North Dakota Century Code Chapter 15.1-40, and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) adopted administrative rules (NDAC Chapter 67-36) that took effect April 1, 2026. North Dakota is the 47th state to authorize charter schools.
The law names the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, acting through NDDPI, as the sole charter school authorizer. Every proposed school must apply, and every approved school operates under a charter performance agreement that sets clear academic, operational, and financial expectations.
What is a public charter school?
A public charter school is a public school in North Dakota’s public education system. It is open to students statewide and uses a public lottery if more students apply than it can serve. It employs licensed teachers, is governed by a public board that follows open meetings and records laws, and may not charge tuition or fees (except for field trips, clubs, and athletics). It must serve students with disabilities and English learners under the same state and federal requirements as every other public school. Charter schools receive state education aid tied to enrollment.
A focus on outcomes and accountability
ND ANCHOR was built around one question: will students learn and grow? The framework is grounded in state law and rule, aligns with nationally recognized standards for quality authorizing, and builds on the accountability systems North Dakota already uses for all public schools. Applicants set measurable outcome goals and are reviewed against a published rubric. Each approved school signs a charter performance agreement, completes a Ready-to-Open review before serving students, and is monitored annually, with corrective action, nonrenewal, or revocation when expectations are not met. Key steps in the process are public, and NDDPI provides guidance so founders understand the expectations without doing the work for them.
Application Materials Available NowThe ND ANCHOR charter school application and guidance are published and ready for review. Interested applicants can start reviewing the materials now, ahead of the application window opening December 2, 2026. We encourage prospective founders to apply this cycle. Key dates
*Approved schools are not required to open in fall 2027. Applicants may apply this cycle and use a planning year (“Year 0”) to complete Ready-to-Open requirements before serving students. Details are available in the application guidance. |
Updates to ND ANCHOR Materials
ND ANCHOR is new, and NDDPI expects to refine its materials as the framework is put into practice. NDDPI may update, correct, or clarify the documents in this section, including applications, rubrics, templates, guidance, and frameworks. Each document lists its version number and effective date, and a summary of changes will be posted so applicants, charter schools, and the public can see what changed and when.
If you find an error or have a question about a document, contact DPICharterschools@nd.gov.
Phase 1: Get Oriented - learn what chartering means in North Dakota and what the process looks like. |
A public charter school is a public school that operates under a charter performance agreement with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Founders can propose a new school or convert an existing public school. A conversion application must include a petition signed by a majority of teachers and a majority of parents or guardians at the school.
Approved schools are not required to open in fall 2027. Applicants may apply this cycle and use a planning year ("Year 0") to complete Ready-to-Open requirements before serving students.
Next step: Review the key dates, then submit your Notice of Intent
| Nov 2, 2026 | Application materials published |
| Nov 16, 2026 | Applicant information session posted |
| Dec 2, 2026 | Application window opens |
| Jan 4, 2027 | Notice of Intent due |
| Feb 2, 2027, 5:00 p.m. CST | Deadline for questions in the public Q&A |
| Mar 2, 2027, 5:00 p.m. CST | Application filing deadline |
| March to May 2027 | Review, challenge scenarios, public interview, and Superintendent decision |
| Fall 2027* | First charter schools expected to open |
*Approved schools may use a planning year before opening.
North Dakota's charter school framework is grounded in state law and administrative rule. Applicants are responsible for knowing both.
- North Dakota Century Code Chapter 15.1-40, Public Charter Schools
- North Dakota Administrative Code Chapter 67-36
- Senate Bill 2241 (2025)
Next step: Read the statute and rule before you begin your application.
Phase 2: Prepare and apply - Everything you need to notify NDDPI, build your application, and understand how it will be reviewed. |
A Notice of Intent lets NDDPI know you plan to apply. It is optional and does not commit you to submitting an application. The Notice of Intent is due January 4, 2027.
State law also requires every applicant to notify the school board of the district where the proposed school will be located.
Next step: Submit your Notice of Intent, then begin your application.
The application focuses on outcomes, people, and plans. Operational documents are verified later, during Ready-to-Open. The window opens December 2, 2026, and applications are due March 2, 2027, by 5:00 p.m. CST.
SECTIONS AND PAGE LIMITS
| 1. Community need and justification | 6 pages |
| 2. Mission and outcomes ★ | 7 pages |
| 3. Performance management and accountability | 6 pages |
| 4. Educational model | 10 pages |
| 5. Founding team and governance capacity ★ | 6 pages |
| 6. Execution (governance, staffing, facilities, service provider, financial plan ★) | 6 to 8 pages each |
| 7. Policies and assurances | 1 page plus attachments |
| Appendix A. Enrollment projection template | Excel |
★ Gateway section. See "How applications are reviewed."
HAVE READY
⇒ Names, roles, and resumes for your governing board and founding team
⇒ Signed conflict-of-interest disclosures
⇒ Draft board bylaws
⇒ For conversions, evidence of support from a majority of teachers and parents or guardians
- Download the application guidance
Required Appendices Documents:
- Download Appendix A- enrollment projection template
- Download Appendix B- 5-year budget SFN9149
- Download Appendix C- Board Member Statement of Assurances
Next step: Review the scoring rubric so you know how each section is rated.
Every application is reviewed against the same published rubric. The Superintendent decides within 90 days of the filing deadline.
| March 3 to 12 | Completeness and eligibility screen |
| March to April | Written review with the rubric, and requests for clarification if needed |
| Early April | Challenge Scenarios, by email or video meeting |
| Late April | Public interview with the applicant team (required) |
| Mid-May | Superintendent decision: approval, conditional approval, or denial, with reasons in writing |
An application advances to Challenge Scenarios and the public interview when every section is rated "Meets the Standard." Three Gateway sections carry extra weight: Mission and Outcomes, Founding Team and Governance Capacity, and the Financial Plan. A Gateway section rated "Does Not Meet" stops an application from advancing.
Next step: Use the rubric to self-check each section before you submit.
Submit clarifying questions about the Charter School Application by email only to the ND Charter School Inbox at dpicharterschools@nd.gov. NDDPI will accept questions at any time up to 5:00 p.m. Central Time on February 2, 2027, and will not answer questions received after that deadline. To ensure all applicants have equal access to clarifying information, NDDPI will not respond to questions through any other channel. Please do not call or contact individual staff with questions.
NDDPI does not hold office hours or operate a help desk. Questions and answers are posted below. NDDPI will post responses within 2-3 business days of receipt. Questions are posted without identifying the applicant, and similar questions may be combined.
*Only written answers published to the FAQ log are authoritative. Verbal statements, informal email exchanges, and responses to individual applicants do not change or interpret application requirements.
Questions | Answer |
NDDPI provides guidance, templates, and information sessions so every applicant understands the process and the expectations. Applicants write their own plans. NDDPI does not draft or pre-review applications, which keeps the review independent and fair.
- Watch the applicant information session (to be posted November 16th)
- Submit question to DPI Charter School Inbox
Next step: Watch the information session, then bring your questions to the public Q&A.
Phase 3: Understand expectations and open - Learn how schools are measured, how they are funded, and what happens from approval through renewal. |
The performance frameworks show how every charter school is measured. Student outcomes come first, and the same indicators appear in every charter performance agreement. Results drive annual monitoring, renewal decisions, and, when expectations are not met, corrective action.
INDICATORS IN EVERY AGREEMENT
| Student academic proficiency | Student academic growth |
| Attendance | Recurrent enrollment |
| Readiness for success upon graduation | Financial performance |
| Governance performance | Family and community engagement |
Each agreement also includes annual performance targets, set with the school, that support compliance with federal and state requirements. The Academic Performance Framework adds English learner progress and mission-specific goals.
- Download the academic performance framework
- Download the financial performance framework (coming soon)
- Download the organizational performance framework
Next step: Use the Academic Performance Framework to shape the goals you propose in Section 2 of your application.
Approval of your application is not the same as a charter performance agreement. The agreement is a separate contract between your governing board and the State Superintendent. It sets the expectations your school will be held to.
- Signed by the Superintendent and the governing board within 60 days of approval
- Approved in a public meeting before the school may operate
- Includes academic, operational, and fiscal expectations and measures
- Describes how NDDPI will oversee and monitor the school, and the actions that may lead to revocation
- Initial term of five years, beginning on the school's first day of operation
Governing boards may negotiate amendments to the agreement. NDDPI's review is limited to the amendments requested.
Charter schools are public schools and are open to all students. Charter schools are not exempt from any state or federal special education requirement.
- Enroll every student who applies, and use a public lottery when applications exceed capacity
- No admissions decisions based on ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, income, disability, English proficiency, or academic or athletic ability
- Serve students with disabilities and English learners under the same laws as every other public school
- Include a plan to serve at-risk students in the application
A charter school is a local education agency for purposes of special education funding.
- State aid is based on enrollment. The state pays the statewide average per-student amount from the previous year for each enrolled student (approximately $8,300).
- Schools receive a proportionate share of eligible federal and state categorical aid.
- Charter schools do not receive local property tax support.
- NDDPI will charge an administrative oversight fee of three percent of annual per-student allocations.
- Unspent funds carry over from year to year, and schools may accept gifts, donations, and grants.
- Charter school facilities are exempt from property taxes
STARTUP SUPPORT- NDLaunch
North Dakota received a federal Charter Schools Program grant, called ND Launch, to help the state’s first charter schools plan and open. NDDPI will award competitive subgrants to a small number of selected schools to cover one-time startup costs, such as planning, pre-opening, and launch activities. Funds cannot be used for construction, and schools are expected to plan from the start to operate on state per-pupil funding after startup support ends. The subgrant application is expected to be released in early summer 2027.
- Download the NDLaunch one-pager (information coming soon)
Approval comes first, then proof of readiness. Before serving students, every approved school completes Ready-to-Open, which verifies that the school's systems are in place. Evidence collection runs from spring through summer 2027 for schools planning a fall 2027 opening.
A school may delay its opening for up to one school year after approval. Applicants who want a full planning year ("Year 0") can apply this cycle and complete Ready-to-Open on a longer timeline.
Next step: Decide whether you plan to open in fall 2027 or use a Year 0 planning year, then build your Ready-to-Open timeline accordingly.
| Every year | NDDPI completes an annual evaluation of each school against its agreement. Governing boards follow open meetings and open records laws. |
| If concerns arise | NDDPI sends written notice, and the school has at least 15 days to respond and remedy the problem. |
| Before year four | NDDPI issues a public performance report at least 75 days before the fourth year begins. The school has at least 30 days to respond. |
| Final year of term | The board submits a renewal application by the first day of instruction. NDDPI decides within 45 days and holds a public meeting on the decision. |
| Renewal | Renewals are for successive five-year terms. |
An agreement may be revoked or not renewed for failing to follow the law, violating the agreement, not making sufficient progress toward expectations, or failing to meet accepted standards of fiscal management. Revocation requires a public meeting (except in cases of imminent public safety risk), and the school has 30 days to respond to a notice to revoke. NDDPI publishes the reasons for every revocation or nonrenewal.
A school that intends to close must notify families, transition students and records, and distribute assets, starting with payroll obligations.