What are Charter Schools?

Charter schools are a special type of public schools as they are more autonomous than public schools. These special schools provide parents an option, other than the regular public school, to choose for their children’s education.

These schools are especially popular in areas where public schools have been highlighted as requiring corrective steps and restructuring of sorts to improve upon the standards of education.

Charter schools receive state funding, and in this regard, they are just like public schools, since they are likewise tuition-free. Charter schools have more flexibility in running their affairs than public schools though they are also accountable to show good results.

Charter schools are started and organized by by parents, teachers, and leading community members as an alternative to public schools. The first charter school was opened in Minnesota in 1992, and today there are nearly 4,000 such schools in different states and nearly a million kids receive their education in these schools. As these schools are less in number, sometimes a lottery system is resorted to when the number of applying students is higher than the number of seats available.