Overview
Citizenship and Science Academy of Syracuse Charter School (CSASCS) is a public charter school located in Syracuse, New York, and authorized by the New York State Board of Regents [1]. It is a tuition-free school of choice that, in its own description, combines a college-preparatory academic program with an emphasis on citizenship, social awareness, and community responsibility [2]. New York State Education Department (NYSED) records list an authorized grade span of K-11 and an authorized enrollment of 900 students for the 2026-2027 school year [1].
Charter schools in New York are publicly funded schools that operate under a charter granted by an authorizer and are governed by their own board rather than by a local school district board. For this school, the authorizer is the Board of Regents [1]. That governance structure shapes how the school reports data, how it admits students, and where families should look for official information.
This profile covers the Syracuse school listed by NYSED under this name. It draws on the state’s charter school directory entry for the school and on the school’s own website, and it does not describe other charter schools that may have similar names.
Location and School Identity
The school is located in Syracuse, New York, and its official website is csasyracuse.org [1][2]. NYSED lists it among the charter schools it oversees as authorizer, with the Board of Regents named as authorizer [1].
NYSED’s record of the school’s May 2022 first renewal states that the renewal approved revisions involving organizational structure, a name change, relocation, and enrollment and grade-level expansion [1]. Because a relocation was approved as part of that action, the campus address in use today may not match older listings. The sources examined for this profile do not include a street address, so families should confirm the current campus location directly with the school before visiting.
Location and eligibility are separate questions. A charter school’s campus is not the same as a district attendance boundary, and living near the school does not by itself establish a right to enroll. Admission depends on the school’s charter, any enrollment preferences permitted by state law, and the number of seats available in a given grade.
Grades Served and Authorized Growth
NYSED’s directory entry shows the school’s authorized grade span and authorized enrollment increasing year by year, consistent with a planned expansion into the upper grades [1]:
| School year | Authorized grades | Authorized enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-2023 | K-7 | 600 |
| 2023-2024 | K-8 | 675 |
| 2024-2025 | K-9 | 750 |
| 2025-2026 | K-10 | 825 |
| 2026-2027 | K-11 | 900 |
The pattern in the table is a school adding one grade level per year while its authorized enrollment ceiling rises by 75 students each year. These are approved authorizations, not counts of students actually attending, and they describe the school’s planned growth rather than its current size at any given moment [1].
Academic Programs and School Features
The school describes its program as offering the small classes and college-preparatory orientation of a private academy in a tuition-free public setting, with an emphasis on citizenship and volunteerism [2]. Specific features the school lists on its About page include:
- A minimum of 225 hours of community service as a high school graduation requirement [2].
- A teacher-to-student ratio of 1:12 in grades K-2, with two teachers in a classroom [2].
- At least one field trip per month in the elementary grades [2].
- A curriculum intended to prepare students for college, paired with activities the school frames as developing critical thinking, civic involvement, and awareness of local, global, and environmental issues [2].
These program descriptions come from the school’s own website and reflect the school’s stated approach. They are not independently verified measures of quality, and families comparing schools should weigh them alongside state-reported data and a visit to the campus.
As a public charter school in New York, the school is expected to follow state learning standards and to take part in state assessment and accountability requirements. Its annual reports and financial statements are filed with the state and are listed on its NYSED directory page [1].
Enrollment and School Data
The grade and enrollment figures published by NYSED for this school are authorized maximums approved by the authorizer, not actual enrollment counts [1]. Authorized enrollment sets a ceiling on how many students the school may serve in a given year; the number of students actually enrolled can be lower and can vary by grade.
Actual enrollment, student demographics, and assessment results are reported separately through NYSED’s school data and report card resources, which are linked from the school’s NYSED directory page [1]. The sources examined for this profile do not include an actual enrollment count for a specific year, so no such figure is presented here. Readers should also avoid comparing authorized enrollment across schools as if it were a measure of size or performance, since authorization levels reflect each school’s charter and expansion plan.
Admissions and Enrollment
Citizenship and Science Academy of Syracuse Charter School is a public school of choice rather than a neighborhood-zoned district school. New York charter schools generally must select students by lottery when more students apply than there are seats available, and they do not charge tuition; the school describes its program as tuition-free [2]. Eligibility rules and any permitted enrollment preferences are set by state law and by the school’s charter.
Application windows, forms, seat availability by grade, and deadlines can change from year to year. Families should confirm the current process directly with the school through its official website and office, and should not assume that applying guarantees a seat or that residence near the campus confers eligibility [2].
History and Community Context
NYSED’s directory entry for the school lists several milestones in its authorization history: an initial charter approved in November 2016, a merger revision in June 2017, and a first renewal in May 2022 that included revisions to the school’s organizational structure, name, location, and enrollment and grade-level plan [1]. The same page lists a 2021-2022 renewal site visit report and annual reports with financial statements for the 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023 school years [1].
The school describes itself as serving area students in Syracuse and as aiming to combine rigorous academics with civic engagement, including community service that the school says helps students become more aware of issues facing their region [2]. No founding date beyond the charter actions recorded by NYSED is asserted here.
Student Services and Family Information
The sources examined for this profile do not document this school’s transportation, meals, special education, or multilingual learner services. In New York, the details of such services for a charter school are typically set out in the school’s charter, its family handbook, and its annual reports, and they can change between school years [1]. Families with specific questions should contact the school directly and ask how services are delivered, who the point of contact is, and what documentation is required.
How to Verify Current Information
- School website: csasyracuse.org, including the About page, for the school’s current program description and contact details [2].
- NYSED charter school page: the school’s institutional data page for authorized grades and enrollment by year, renewal reports, annual reports, and financial statements [1].
- NYSED data resources: enrollment, assessment, and report card data, linked from the school’s NYSED directory page [1].
- SEDREF: NYSED’s centralized directory for schools. NYSED asks that corrections to institutional data such as address, principal, or phone number be sent to datasupport@nysed.gov with a copy to charterschools@nysed.gov, including the school’s BEDS code [1].