Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that accept all students and families who choose to enroll in them. In many cases, they are founded by people within the community who want to create options for families whose children may need something different.

A charter school is a tuition-free school that is publicly funded and independently run. In exchange for flexibilities from some state laws and regulations that govern traditional public schools, charters are bound to the terms of a contract, or "charter," that lays out a school's mission, academic goals, fiscal guidelines, and accountability requirements. On the other side of a charter contract is an authorizer that has the power to shut down charter schools that do not meet the terms of their contracts. There are locally authorized charter schools which are charter schools authorized and under contract with their local district. There are also state authorized charter schools which are authorized by the elected body of the Public Education Commission (PEC).

Because every charter school is founded for a different reason, they are all unique. Some charter schools have science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum or an arts focus, others use a Montessori learning model or a college-prep focus, and some are dual credit- offering college credit while in high school, and others provide career training.

Families choose to send their children to the charter school of their choice. If the demand for enrollment in a charter school exceeds space, enrollment is subject to a lottery. Think of it this way - if a charter school can serve 100 students in 6th grade and 200 students apply to 6th grade, the school must have a fair way to enroll students.

Charter schools can serve children in any grade, pre-K through 12th, and some offer other programs like GED courses or classes for adults who didn’t have the opportunity to graduate high school earlier.