Glossary

Charter school

A publicly funded school operated independently under a charter that frees it from some rules in exchange for accountability for results.

Also called: public charter school, charters

A charter school is a tuition-free public school that operates under a contract, or "charter," with an authorizer such as a state board, school district or university. In exchange for meeting academic and financial goals, it gets more freedom than traditional district schools over staffing, curriculum and schedule. If it fails, the authorizer can close it.

Minnesota passed the first charter law in 1991, and today most states allow them, serving several million students. Some are run by nonprofits, and others by for-profit management companies.

Charter schools are the most bipartisan form of school choice, though the politics have shifted. Supporters point to strong results in some urban networks and say charters give families options within the public system; critics, including teachers unions, argue that they take students and funding from district schools, vary widely in quality and sometimes lack transparency. Research finds average effects similar to district schools, with larger gains in some urban charters and weaker results in some online charters. Religion is not permitted in them under current law, a point raised in a 2025 Supreme Court case. See also school voucher.

Last reviewed November 8, 2026

In the index now

Related terms

School choice Policies that let families use public education funds or tax benefits to select schools beyond their assigned district school. School voucher A government-funded certificate that lets a family pay for tuition at a private school, including religious schools, instead of the local public school. Education savings account A state-funded account that parents can use for private school tuition, tutoring, homeschooling costs and other approved education expenses. Tax-credit scholarship A program giving donors a tax credit for contributions to nonprofit organizations that fund private school scholarships. Homeschooling Education of children at home by parents or tutors rather than in a public or private school, legal in every U.S. state.