Charter school overview
Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School
How LMACS serves older and under-credited students while planning for enrollment, facilities, and long-term sustainability.
How does this alternative public charter school operate?
LMACS is an independent Commonwealth charter school governed by its own Board of Trustees. It serves students in grades 9-12, including students who are over-age, under-credited, or at risk of leaving school, and relies primarily on Chapter 70 charter tuition plus grants and contributed services from Middlesex Community College.
Enrollment reached the charter cap
March 30 minutes report 150 students, the highest enrollment in school history and the school's maximum authorized enrollment.
The accountability plan measures engagement and growth
The board-approved plan groups students by engagement and sets annual goals for credits, school connection, career learning, graduation, and NWEA MAP growth.
FY27 planning is close to break-even
The May finance materials project $3.408 million in operating revenue and $3.526 million in operating expense, with non-operating revenue bringing the proposed increase in net position to about $1,600.
The school owns a building with vacant space
Trustees are seeking tenants for Pollard building space and planning roof, cooling-tower, HVAC, and longer-term capital work.
The FY25 audit gave an unmodified opinion, reported no findings, and the March board minutes described revenue above budget and expenses on track; the current record does not establish a fiscal crisis.
Where the charter school stands
The minutes call this the highest enrollment in school history; the accountability plan lists a 150-student cap.
Finance planning document reviewed May 13; the May 18 agenda requested board approval, but collected records do not show the vote.
Near-break-even projection after estimated non-operating revenue and expense.
Board authorized engagement with the Rennie Center at a cost not to exceed $50,000.
Twenty-four unique files; two URLs held the same draft audit.
Major projects
2026-2029 strategic plan
Community engagement and plan development underwayThe board hired the Rennie Center to evaluate programs and systems, engage stakeholders, facilitate retreats, and deliver a strategic plan and first-year implementation roadmap.
- Board authorizes Rennie Center engagement
- Board hears that stakeholder engagement and program evaluation are underway
- Proposal targets an action-planning retreat in July 2026
- January board packet identifies November 2026 as the expected plan date
Funding
Board authorization up to $50,000
The proposal's full-scope option totals $50,000.
Pollard building occupancy and capital work
Grant application and tenant discussions underwayThe school is seeking tenants for vacant building space and has applied to Green School Works for roof and rooftop cooling-tower funding while planning longer-term HVAC and capital improvements.
- Trustees discuss cooling-tower repairs estimated near $300,000
- Finance Committee records Green School Works grant application for roof and cooling tower
- Trustees report tenant negotiations and anticipated HVAC investments
Funding
Board-designated capital funds, possible grant funding, and future lease revenue
January materials estimate cooling-tower repairs near $300,000; the grant award and final scope are not established.
Identity and charter status were checked against NCES and the official Board of Trustees page. The recurring collector traverses the official Board and Finance Google Drive folders through their current-year path. Every collected source was retrieved from staging and reviewed chronologically; duplicate content was identified by SHA-256.
Get alerts for Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School
We read every agenda, packet, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.
View alerts for this district