About Charters

What is a charter public school?

Charter public schools were created by the Education Reform Act of 1993 to provide educational choice for parents, expand educational opportunity for their children, and promote change in their districts. In exchange for specific freedoms (in organizational structure, mission, and academic program), charter public schools are held to high levels of accountability; they must successfully manage school finances and operations, and they must demonstrate student achievement; if they don't, the schools can be closed.

Are charter public schools private schools?

We are founded by parents and community leaders who believe there are educational needs that are not being met by the district schools. We operate independently of local school districts, local government and the local teachers unions. Instead, we are overseen by the state Board of Education.

Charter schools are public schools, authorized by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. They operate independent of the local school district. Founders are generally parents, community members, and/or members of the general public, who come together and write a proposal for a school. Often charter public schools are organized around a specific mission, theme, or curricular focus.

There are two types of charter public schools: Commonwealth Charter Schools and Horace Mann Charter Schools. Both operate independent of the local school system, but a Horace Mann Charter School must have the approval of the local school committee and teachers' union, and their yearly budget request must be approved by the local school committee as well. Every charter public school is managed by a board of trustees.

There are 64 charters in Massachusetts – 57 Commonwealth charters, which are totally independent of local school systems and not subject to teachers’ union contracts, and 7 Horace Mann charters, which have some management autonomy but still operate under the control of school districts and teachers’ union contracts.

Charter public schools began in Minnesota in 1991 as a way to offer students the choice to attend new and different public schools. In Massachusetts, charter public schools were initiated as part of the Education Reform Act of 1993, to offer choice and to foster innovation in education.

Who can attend a charter public school?

Charter public schools are public schools open to everyone, free of charge. We cannot – and do not – select our students. If there are more students than available seats, we hold public lotteries to determine who will attend.

Since the first school opened in 1995, enrollment has steadily risen and demand has remained strong. More than 25,000 children are enrolled with 23,000 on wait lists. That’s less than 2% of statewide enrollment.

Do charter public schools serve “all” students?

Charter public schools are located mostly in urban areas and enroll traditionally “underserved” populations. Statewide, 51 percent of students enrolled in charter public schools are students of color, compared to 26 percent statewide; 43 percent of students in charter public schools are enrolled in the free/reduced lunch program compared with 26 percent statewide. Compared to our host districts, we serve a far higher percentage of African American children, an equivalent percentage of low-income students, and lower percentages of Hispanics and special needs students. In Boston, our demographics mirror the city’s Pilot Schools.

How are charter public schools funded?

Charters are funded by taking a slice of education spending and reallocating it from district to charter when parents choose to enroll their children. The amount of money that charters receive reflects the amount of money the district spends on those students.

The state also has the most generous reimbursement plan in the country. For every dollar transferred, 100 percent goes back to the districts the first year, 60 percent the second and 40 percent the third. So, districts get two-thirds of their money back over a three year period. This gives districts time to adjust for the loss of enrollment and funding.

Who oversees charter public schools?

Since charter public schools are independent of the local school district, they are overseen by the state. Charter public schools first go through a rigorous application process; only strong, viable applications are approved. The schools are evaluated every year by the state Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. Charters must be renewed every five years. If the schools do not live up to the high standards established by the state, they can be closed. Massachusetts’ application process and oversight practices have been rated the toughest in the nation.

Are charter public schools fulfilling their mission?

For the past 15 years, charter public schools have proven that kids from Roxbury can achieve at the same level as kids from Brookline or Dover. Charters are moving underprivileged children from the back of the pack to the front of the pack arming them with the tools they will need to succeed in college and the work force. Two studies by prominent, independent researchers have found that charter public schools are closing the achievement gap between poor, minority students and affluent white students.

• The state Department of Elementary & Secondary (2006) found that widest gap in MCAS scores between charters and districts were among African American, Hispanic, and low-income students.
• A study by Harvard and MIT researchers for The Boston Foundation study (2009) showed that academic gains from a single year in a Boston charter erased half the achievement gap between minority and white students. Students who entered charters in the fourth grade improved their test scores from slightly above Boston’s average to slightly below Brookline’s average by the eighth grade.

Do charter public schools collaborate with district schools?

Yes. Dozens of collaborative programs are taking place across the state between charter and district schools, teachers and administrators.