General Information about charter schools

A charter school is an independent public school that must perform well and attract parents in order to stay in business.

• A charter school must practice open admission policies, meet health and safety standards, and comply with civil rights laws; it is not bound to state education regulations about curriculum, personnel, scheduling and financial administration.
• A charter school is held accountable. Its students must show satisfactory achievement equal to or better than the state average.
• A charter school is typically given five years to prove itself, but its charter can be pulled back at any time by a school board if it is not performing as promised.
• A charter school provides freedom for educators and school founders to use curricula or programs to set up the school day that best meet the needs of the community it is serving.
• Studies show charter school students nationwide are outscoring their counterparts in neighboring conventional public schools by as much as five percent.

Differences between charter schools and district schools

Charter schools are innovative public schools designed by educators, parents or civic leaders that are open by choice, accountable for results, and free from most rules and regulations governing conventional public schools.

History

The first charter school opened in Minnesota in 1991. There are now 40 states and the District of Columbia that have charter schools, including Florida. As of September 2006, about 4,000 charter schools are operating across the United States, serving more than a million children. Florida currently has 391 charter schools serving over 100,000 children.