A thousands-strong mass of parents, teachers and students marched across the Brooklyn Bridge on Thursday to support the city's nearly 300 charter schools -- and call for more to be allowed to open.

The march kicked off with a raucous rally in Cadman Plaza headlined by rapper Common, a supporter of the charter school movement, who sang his Oscar-winning song "Glory."

"Stop the no! Let charters grow!" attendees chanted -- pushing to end the controversial state cap on the number of charter schools in the Big Apple.

A coalition of charter schools organized the rally against the backdrop of New York City's mayoral election, where socialist Zohran Mamdani -- who has vowed to fight efforts to lift the cap -- is the frontrunner.

Kamptary Williams, a principal at Success Academy Charter Schools, and parent who led the chants, argued the institutions face "discrimination."

Charters -- which are publicly funded, but privately managed by not-for-profit entities -- exist because parents demanded better education and options for their kids, Williams argued.

"We demanded to end the ban they have on charter school that block the opportunity on our kids here and across the city," she said. "Sometimes it feels like our lawmakers are not listening."

New York City has 282 charter schools serving nearly 150,000 students, or a sixth of all public school pupils in the Big Apple.

But restrictions by the Democratic-controlled state Legislature have capped the number of charter schools, meaning more cannot open in the city -- leading to the high-profile event.

Rallygoers wore shirts and bandanas emblazoned with the phrase "excellence is a civil right," while hula-hoop toting kids carried signs scrawled with "let us learn" in colorful paint.

"Charter schools need to be treated with respect like every other public school," said Kristine Rivera, a parent at Excellence Community Schools.

Parents touted the education and accommodations, such as for autism, that their kids have received at charter schools.

Kristine Anderson-Welch, a parent at KIPP Middle School in Brooklyn, said her pre-teen daughter is receiving an education that's fostering her dream of becoming an artist or performer.

"I'm proud of who she's become," Anderson-Welch said. "I know that schools we choose helped her get there.

"It isn't about pitting parent against parents. We stand together to make sure that every child, no matter their background, has the chance to find their voice to find their passion and to shine."

Recent data shows that Success Academy Charter students -- who make up the largest group of charter schools in the city -- had test scores nearly double those of their public school peers.

"All we want is what affluent parents get, we want the same choices, no matter what ZIP code we live in," said Eva Moskowitz, the founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools.

While Mamdani is hostile to charter schools, his mayoral election rival Andrew Cuomo -- who approved pro-charter laws when he was governor -- recently touted his support, despite being noticeably quiet during the Democratic primary.

GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa supports charter schools, while Mayor Eric Adams drew fire from proponents in 2023 for failing to support lifting the cap when given the chance in Albany.

Parents, students, teachers demand more charter schools be allowed to...