FOXBORO - The Foxboro Regional Charter School, which has already undergone one major expansion since its founding in 1998, is seeking to increase its 1,300-student capacity by another 400 students.
The publicly-funded school is among 12 existing Bay State charters that have submitted proposals to the state education department to serve additional students.
Six other groups have submitted plans to open new charter schools, none in the Attleboro area.
The submissions are the first step in the approval process for new schools and expansion projects, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Final applications must be submitted by Nov. 1, with finalists recommended to the state Board of Education in February.
Superintendent Mark Logan said the proposal to expand would help the school respond to a high demand from families to enroll their students. The school receives about 750 to 800 new applications each year, Logan said, and has a waiting list of 2,700 to 2,800 students.
He said the proposed expansion, which would require enlarging the campus, would also permit the school to offer additional opportunities and more varied classes.
"It's an opportunity not just to expand our campus, but to expand our programs," Logan said.
Having a larger campus with more buildings would also allow a more appropriate division of space between student age groups while still allowing for interaction, such as having high school students mentor young pupils.
Logan said the school is anticipating negotiations to purchase land adjacent to its campus, where it would be able to build or renovate existing structures. He said he could not go into detail about the plans.
Since any expansion is dependent on state approval, Logan said it's difficult to say how soon his school could realistically expand its number of students. It currently enrolls about 1,280 students from more than 20 communities - virtually all it is allowed under its present charter.
"The state's decision is going to dictate how soon we can start," he said.
Foxboro Regional Charter School opened in 1998 with 582 students and 40 staff members. A major building program in 2012 added 27 classrooms and increased capacity to 1,300 students.
The school, which currently has a staff of 180, has established a reputation for strong concentration on world languages, leadership programs and partnerships with local business and industry. Foxboro RCS also boasts a strong international presence by way of partnerships with schools in China, Spain and soon a third, in Italy.
According to the state education department, the education commissioner and board of education would consider several factors in weighing an existing charter's request to expand: the success of it's academic program, its organizational viability, faithfulness to its charter and the availability of existing seats under current caps.
The commissioner and the board will also consider any comments from superintendents within the school's proposed district or region. Comments concerning the school's expansion request can be addressed to Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education c/o Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign, 75 Pleasant St., Malden, Ma. 02148 or emailed to charterschools@doe.mass.edu.
The state currently has 81 charter schools serving more than 40,000 students.
Voters will consider a ballot question in November that would allow for annual increases in charter school enrollment outside of the existing caps.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said it would evaluate the applications before deciding which groups will be invited to submit more detailed proposals. Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester will then submit a list of finalists to the state Board of Education for a vote in February.
Even if all of the applications were deemed worthy, some could not be approved because of the current caps, the department said.
Charter schools are public schools that operate independently from local school committees. Backers, including Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, contend the schools offer students high-quality educational alternatives to mainstream public schools.
Critics, including teachers unions, argue they siphon financial resources away from traditional schools and fail to adequately serve certain groups of students, including the disabled and English-language learners.
