Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Charter Schools Program?
The Charter Schools Program (CSP) is a federal grant program with the purpose of expanding education choice by providing more schooling options to students, particularly those that reside in failing districts. The six grant programs available through CSP increase the number of high-quality charter schools available to students across the nation and empower parents to select the schooling option that best fits their child's unique needs.
What is a charter school?
A charter school is a public school that operates as a school of choice. Charter schools commit to obtaining specific educational objectives in return for a charter to operate a school. Charter schools are exempt from significant state or local regulations related to operation and management but otherwise adhere to regulations of public schools. For example, charter schools cannot charge tuition or be affiliated with a religious institution.
In other words, charter schools are publicly accountable. They rely on families choosing to enroll their children, and they must have a written performance contract with the authorized public chartering agency. Charter schools are also autonomous. They have more flexibility in the operations and management of the school than traditional public schools.
Check out the "key definitions" below for descriptions of other important stakeholders in charter school work, including CMOs and charter school authorizers.
How are charter schools funded?
Charter schools are publicly funded by local, state, and federal tax dollars, just like traditional public schools. Charter schools that meet the federal definition of a charter school may not charge tuition.
How do you start a charter school? And who can start one?
State charter school law determines who can apply for a charter school. Generally, teachers and school leaders, parents, community leaders, and nonprofit organizations can apply for a charter to one of their state's charter authorizers. Nearly all states require the charter's governing board to operate as a nonprofit entity. The application process and requirements differ according to state charter laws and authorizer practices. To learn more about starting a charter school, we recommend you first contact your state's charter support organization or the State Department of Education for help. Use our state resources page to find the appropriate organization to contact.
What is the Center for Charter School Excellence?
The Center for Charter School Excellence (CCSE) is a federal contract funded by the U.S. Department of Education's CSP. CCSE's role is to assist CSP in its statutory purpose of supporting the growth of high-quality charter schools across the country. CSSE accomplishes this by providing research-based resources, technical assistance to CSP grantees, and insights for the broader education choice community. Currently, CCSE is managed by the Manhattan Strategy Group LLC.
Where can I find additional resources related to charter schools?
There are many organizations across the country that support the establishment and sustainability of high-quality charter schools. If you are interested in learning more about the national charter school landscape, please visit the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the National Institute for Charter Schools, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, and the National Network for District Authorizing. To explore more information about charter schools in your state, visit our state resources page.
Key Terms
Charter Operator
An entity responsible for managing and operating at least one charter school.
Charter Management Organization (CMO)
A nonprofit organization that manages and operates multiple charter schools. CMOs often provide shared services such as staffing, curriculum, and operations.
Charter School Support Organization (CSSO)
A CSSO is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the charter sector through various activities. These organizations may be focused on a single state or have a national focus.
Credit Enhancement (CE)
The purpose of the CE program is to award grants to eligible entities that demonstrate innovative methods of helping charter schools address the cost of acquiring, constructing, and renovating facilities by enhancing the availability of loans and bond financing. This program provides grants to eligible entities to permit them to enhance the credit of charter schools so the charter schools can access private-sector and other non-federal capital to acquire, construct, and renovate facilities at a reasonable cost.
State Education Agency (SEA)
The state-level government agency responsible for overseeing education. Responsibilities may include setting academic standards, distributing funds, and ensuring compliance with federal and state laws.
Local Education Agency (LEA)
A government authority authorized to oversee public elementary and secondary schools in a local area—most often a school district or school board. Individual charter schools, charter operators, CMOs, and charter authorizers may function as their own LEAs, or take on similar responsibilities. For example, CMOs generally manage the facilities of individual schools and charter authorizers may oversee compliance with federal laws. Or a charter school may be considered their own LEA to allow them to apply for and manage their own federal funds, such as Title I or IDEA.
Charter School Authorizer
An authorized public chartering agency responsible for reviewing and approving or rejecting charter applications and monitoring charter school performance (generally considering performance related to academic and fiscal/organizational metrics as well as compliance with relevant laws). State law determines the types and number of organizations permitted to act as charter school authorizers. For example, one state law may allow public school districts, SEAs, or independent organizations such as statewide non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or universities to function as charter authorizers.
State Facilities Incentive Grant (SFIG)
CSP's Charter School Facilities Incentive Grant Program (SFIG) provides competitive grants to help states establish and enhance or administer "per-pupil facilities aid" for charter schools. Visit CSP's website for more information about this program.