What is a Charter School?

A charter school is a public school of choice designed to offer an innovative or alternative approach to education. Charter schools are established under a charter, authorized by a local school district or the Idaho Charter School Commission. The “charter” outlines the metrics a charter school is required to meet including its mission, educational approach, student achievement performance goals and financial accountability metrics. Charter schools are given greater flexibility in the operation of their schools, but unlike traditional public schools, they are assessed annually to determine if they are successfully meeting the requirements of their charter in order to ensure the continued operation of the school.

Charter schools are governed by a Board of Directors which is responsible for the policy and financial oversight of the school.

Charter schools receive the same state and federal dollars that district schools receive. This funding is determined by Idaho Legislature. However, public charter schools do not receive any property tax, bond or levy funding. This amount equals about 30% less funding than a school of comparable size in the same district. As a result of this, most charter schools fund raise to make up the gap in funding.