The Williamsburg Charter High School (WCHS) is the first and only free-standing, charter high school in New York City.

WCHS received its New York State Department of Education incorporation in February 2004 and opened its doors six months later to an inaugural class of 131 students. 

Each incoming class since then has had approximately 150 students.  During the 2007-2008 school year, WCHS will reach its charter designated capacity of 600 students. 

WCHS is structured around the belief that young people can and will rise to meet the challenges of a rigorous educational program, and that such challenges will actually propel them to succeed.  The school has rapidly distinguished itself as a model of alternative and effective public education.  Offering an extended school day, WCHS delivers a comprehensive and demanding college preparatory curriculum within the context of a multifaceted environment, oriented toward youth development. Under this structure, the school has shown extraordinary signs of student achievement in a relatively short period of time.

Charter high schools are extremely rare.  Treading on such new ground requires the combination of the best practices found in alternative high schools, after-school programs, traditional high schools, and successful charter schools.  Drawing on extensive research, collaboration, and decades of first hand experience, WCHS has created an educational program unlike any other being offered in New York City.