What Are Public Charter Schools?
Charter schools independent public schools that are allowed the freedom to be more innovative, while being held accountable for improved student achievement.

What makes charter schools public schools?
Public charter schools are intended to improve our nation's public school system. More than 1.6 million public school students attend the close to 5,000 public charter schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Charter schools are public schools because, while operated independent of the school district, they are:
• tuition-free and open to every student who wishes to enroll
• non-sectarian, and do not discriminate on any basis
• publicly funded by local, state and federal tax dollars based on enrollment, like other public schools
• held accountable to state and federal academic standards

Why do we have public charter schools?
Most states across the nation have recognized there is a critical need to try new and innovative approaches to improving student achievement in our public schools, while holding all public schools accountable for how students learn. Public charter schools give parents options within the public school system. They have the flexibility to try innovative ways of improving learning with the goal of sharing what works with the broader public school system so that all students benefit .

Public Charter Schools are closing the achievement gap. They are raising the bar of what's possible - and what should be expected - in public education.

• Public charter schools are shattering low expectations and breaking through long-standing barriers that have prevented large numbers of students from underserved communities from achieving educational success. Charter school studies that use the best data and most sophisticated research techniques show charters outperforming comparable traditional public schools. Studies have also been clear that the quality of a state's charter school law is a critically important factor in the success of public charter schools.