The mission of the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS) is to provide an alternative free education for students who reside in the District of Columbia.

The District of Columbia Public Charter School Board is authorized to grant charters. Each charter school is a private, non-profit corporation. This agency includes the District of Columbia appropriations to the DCPCS system. Payments from this agency to individual charter schools are made quarterly on the basis of enrollment as set forth in the District of Columbia Official Code, Section 38-2906.02.