In 2005, following Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the New Orleans levee system, seven Orleans Parish public school principals formed the “Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools” – or “ECCS” – to improve school operations in key areas, including legal services, facilities support, financial reporting, teacher recruitment, curriculum development and group procurement. The major goal of the organization was to ensure the sustainability of the public charter schools by decreasing back office costs and providing a unified voice in interactions with local, state and national agencies. Furthermore, ECCS worked to help make its members and ancillary members more efficient in their operations so that more staff time could be focused on meeting academic standards and goals.

Over the years, ECCS grew in scope and membership. Thus, in 2015, the Collaborative was renamed the “Greater New Orleans Collaborative of Charter Schools” – or “GNOCCS” to reflect its broader geographic range through its expanding membership in both Orleans and Jefferson Parishes.