Attend one of our Open Houses, held during the autumn and  winter before the admissions deadline in early March. Open Houses run 1:00-3:00 in the afternoon, with one scheduled for a Saturday, and one for a Sunday. For the current schedule, click here.  Teachers, students, and parents will be available to answer your questions and to give tours.

Information is also available on the school’s web site at http://www.pcs.k12.nj.us. The PCS charter is also available at the reference desk of the Princeton Public Library. If you would like to speak with someone about the school, please call the school office at 609-924-0575 and leave a message. We will return your call.

Lunches meeting established nutritional standards are available for purchase on a daily basis. Free and reduced lunches are offered to all children qualifying under the same statewide eligibility criteria used by all public schools in New Jersey.

The Princeton Regional School District is responsible for providing transportation to PCS on the same basis as they provide transportation to the other public schools.

The parents’ organization is called Friends of Princeton Charter School. The Friends support the school by raising funds and organizing events such as parties and picnics that build a sense of community at the school. The Friends raised the funds for the first phase of renovation of our current building. Since that time, the school has grown significantly, and the function of raising funds for capital improvements has been transferred to the PCS Capital and Endowment Fund.

PCS, like all public charter schools in New Jersey, receives state and local tax dollars to educate the children attending the school. Unlike traditional public schools, PCS receives a fixed amount per pupil, and finances all operating costs with these funds. Since PCS does not receive any of the local bond monies for capital improvements, the school raises money from individuals and foundations to improve its facilities.

PCS is located at 100 Bunn Drive on a seven-acre campus in Princeton Township. The main entrance is off Bunn Drive, just north of Princeton Shopping Center. The K-4 classroom building was reconstructed on the foundation of the New Jersey Bankers Association building that the school purchased in 2001. The light-filled classrooms are bright and spacious, helping to make learning fun for the students.

The main, three-story school building which houses grades 5-8 was renovated in stages from 1997 to 1999. The school is particularly proud of the modern, fully equipped science laboratory, made possible by a generous grant from the Challenge Foundation.

The new campus center, completed in 2010, has classrooms for art and music, a black-box theater, and a gymnasium. The spacious center gallery hosts gatherings and  art shows.

The campus also includes playing fields, a running path, and playgrounds.

To date, the number of students applying for each grade has exceeded the number of spaces available. Students not offered spaces are placed on the waiting list in lottery-number order. As spaces become available, they are filled from the waiting list. According to state regulations, the waiting list applies only to the end of the following academic year. Students who wish to remain on the waiting list go through the lottery each year to receive a new placement.

Although students who are not residents of either Princeton Township or Princeton Borough may apply, since residents have priority, there is very little chance of a non-resident being offered admission. PCS has always been so popular with residents that admission has never been offered to a student from outside Princeton.

There are no tests or other barriers to admission to Princeton Charter School. Students who live in the Princeton Regional School district have first priority for enrollment. If more students apply than there are spaces available, a random lottery will be used to select applicants. If fewer students apply, applicants may be accepted from other districts (each district pays for its own students). Students enrolled in the school have priority the next year provided the appropriate grade is offered. Younger siblings of enrolled students also have priority, provided they apply to the school when first eligible.

In accordance with New Jersey administrative code (N.J.A.C. 6A:11-4.6) a charter school student enrolling in kindergarten must reach the age of five on or before September 30th in that school year.