The demand for city charter schools has hit a record high with 79,000 applications for the upcoming school year.

That’s up from 73,000 last year and 54,000 in 2011, according to the New York City Charter School Center.

“With the number of applicants hitting another record high, there is no doubt that demand for public charter schools is growing,” said Charter Center CEO James Merriman.

An analysis found that 52,700 applicants ended up on waiting lists — up roughly 5,000 from the prior year.

“Ninety-seven percent of charter schools do not have enough seats to accommodate demand,” the report stated. “About nine out of 10 charter schools reported having waitlists that are at least twice the number of available seats.”

There were roughly four applicants per seat in the South Bronx and Harlem, with 30,418 applications for 7,819 spots, according to the report.

The Bronx had the highest number of overall applicants with 27,020 submissions for 6,969 seats and Manhattan was second with 21,280 applications for 6,348 slots.

Brooklyn had 22,497 applicants, Queens 7,725 and Staten Island 1,144, according to the report.

“These numbers should send a clear signal to every policy maker in the state that parents want great public-school options,” Merriman said. “We must eliminate the cap on charter schools now.”

Sector backers have ripped state ceilings on charter-school growth and want those boundaries widened to accommodate swelling demand.

While major charter operators have been able to boast of robust test scores, the sector has been criticized for diverting funds and resources away from traditional schools.

Some networks — including charter powerhouse Success Academy — have also been taken to task for trimming challenging students from their ranks.

But despite unrelenting political dramas surrounding charter schools, demand has continued to rise over the past several years.

Proponents argue that the intensifying thirst is driven by parents desperate for alternatives to low-performing public schools.

The vast majority of charter-school students are low-income minority kids.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has offered sporadic praise for charter-school practices but has openly prioritized traditional public schools, arguing that they still teach roughly 90 percent of the city’s students.