What is a Charter School?

Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that are funded by public money or private donations. Charter schools are not required to follow the traditional rules and regulations of public schools. These schools do provide an alternative education; however, they are still a part of public education and are not permitted to charge tuition.

Charter school founders

Charter schools can be opened at the discretion of parents and educators who are looking for an alternative to public schools. Teachers, parents or other activists for a better education for students may join forces to open a charter school. Some charter schools are state authorized and may be founded by non-profit organizations, college universities or even some government groups.

Charter school chains

Some school districts also allow large corporations to open and manage charter school chains. This means that more than one of the same charter schools may be located throughout large districts or cities. Some may even span across several different cities or states. These schools are still non-profit and still have the same status as smaller individual charter schools.

Enrollment and Curriculum

Depending upon the size of a charter school, it will generally have a much smaller student body than that of a public school. Many of these schools have a waiting list that can be up to 200 students at any given time. The curriculum of charter schools may vary somewhat from public school curriculum. Some may specialize in certain subjects such as, math, science, art or music. However, many teach the same courses as public schools, but with a more advanced, one-on-one form of learning for students.