Charter schools in the United States

Charter schools in the United States are primary or secondary education institutions which receive government funding but operate with a degree of autonomy or independence from local public school districts. Charter schools have a contract with local public school districts or other governmental authorizing bodies that allow them to operate. These contracts, or charters, are how charter schools bear their name. Charter schools are open to all students, depending on capacity, and do not charge tuition. 7.4 percent of all public school students attended a charter school in the 2021–2022 school year.

The rules governing charter schools, and how they are authorized, differ in each of the states that allow them.

Charter schools may also fundraise independently, in addition to the funding they receive from the government. Charters can be run as either non-profit or for-profit institutions. However, there are some for-profit management organizations that hold charters, though these are only allowed in Arizona. Only non-profit charters can receive donations from private sources, just the same as traditional public schools.

As of 2021-2022 there were an estimated 7,800 public charter schools in 46 states and the District of Columbia, with approximately 3.7 million students In the 2021-2022 school year, 291 new charter schools opened. They educate the majority of children in New Orleans Public Schools. Some charter schools provide a specialized curriculum (for example in arts, mathematics, or vocational training).

Charter schools may be founded by individuals or teacher-parent groups. Two-thirds of charter schools are freestanding and independent; the remainder are managed by a charter management organization or education management organization. Such entries, which manage one or more charter schools, can be either for-profit or non-profit. The first state law in the United States authorizing charter schools was enacted in Minnesota in 1991, and the first charter school that opened as a result of this new law was the City Academy High School in St. Paul.

The charter school idea in the United States had several originating sources. In 1971, UC Berkeley professors Stephen Sugarman and Jack Coons published "Family Choice in Education" which outlined the concept of a charter school model. This idea, called "Independent Public Schools" was expanded on in their 1978 volume, "Education by Choice". The term "charter schools" was defined In 1974 by University of Massachusetts Amherst professor Ray Budde. Albert Shanker, president of the American Federation of Teachers, embraced the concept in 1988, when he called for the reform of the public schools by establishing "charter schools" or "schools of choice." Gloria Ladson-Billings called him "the first person to publicly propose charter schools." At the time, a few schools already existed that were not called charter schools but embodied some of their principles, such as H-B Woodlawn.

As originally conceived, the ideal model of a charter school was as a legally and financially autonomous public school (without tuition, religious affiliation, or selective student admissions) that would operate much like a private business—free from many state laws and district regulations, and accountable more for student outcomes rather than for processes or inputs (such as Carnegie Units and teacher certification requirements).

Minnesota was the first state to pass a charter school law in 1991. California was second, in 1992. As of 2022^[update], 46 states and the District of Columbia have charter school laws, according to the Center for Education Reform.