General Information
Responses to these frequently asked questions are advisory only. Charter schools and charter authorizers are encouraged to review the actual laws and regulations that provide the basis for these responses and consult with their own legal counsel regarding the application of any of these issues to a specific situation.
Q.1 What is a charter school?
Q.2 Are charter schools part of the public school system?
Q.3 Are there different types of charter schools?
Q.4 How are charter schools listed on the California Department of Education (CDE) Web site?
Q.5 Where is information about the current academic performance of a charter school located on this Web site?
Q.6 What is the protocol for filing a complaint about a charter school?
Q.7 Do charter schools receive accreditation?
Q.8 Can a traditional high school refuse to accept credits earned by a student who transfers from a charter high school?
Q.9 Can a charter school require each student to participate in state testing?
Q.1 What is a charter school?
A charter school is a public school that provides instruction in any combination of grades, kindergarten through grade twelve. Parents, teachers, or community members may initiate a charter petition, which is typically presented to and approved by a local school district governing board. The law also allows, under certain circumstances, for county boards of education and the State Board of Education to be charter authorizing entities.
Specific goals and operating procedures for a charter school are detailed in the agreement between the charter authorizing entity and the charter developer. A charter school is exempted from many of the statutes and regulations that apply to school districts. Students enroll in charter schools on a voluntary basis.
Q.2 Are charter schools part of the public school system?
Yes. Charter schools are under the jurisdiction of the Public School System, as specified in California Education Code (EC) Section 47615. (Outside Source)
Q.3 Are there different types of charter schools?
There are approximately 749 active charters, 41 pending charters, and 9 all-charter districts, comprised of 18 of the 749 active charters. Of the cumulative 790 charters (749 active, 41 pending) 645 (81.65 percent) are classroom or site-based, 134 (16.96 percent) are nonclassroom-based, and 11 (1.39 percent) have not indicated yet (these are pending schools).
Q.4 How are charter schools listed on the California Department of Education (CDE) Web site?
An interactive map can be found on Charter Schools Division Web page that identifies the county in which a school is located and provides information on the type of school, school contacts, grade levels served, type of curriculum, and in some cases, school demographics, and previous school performance.
You can also search the database to view a list of charter schools, or locate a charter school by name. Included in the listing is the charter number, school name, location (county, district, address) phone and fax numbers, email, Web site address, grade levels served, instruction type, curriculum focus, enrollment, Academic Performance Index (API) results and school rankings, funding model, start and numbering date, and business structure.
Q.5 Where is information about the current academic performance of a charter school located on this Web site?
API information can be found on the CDE Web site.
Q.6 What is the protocol for filing a complaint about a charter school?
Complaints should first be addressed at the school site by talking with the teacher and, if necessary, the school principal. If the problem is not resolved, the school’s governing board should be contacted, followed by the school’s charter authorizing entity. Charter schools receiving federal funds are subject to provisions of the Uniform Complaint Procedure.
Q.7 Do charter schools receive accreditation?
Only those charter schools that successfully complete an accreditation process receive accreditation. The majority of charter high schools seek accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Q.8 Can a traditional high school refuse to accept credits earned by a student who transfers from a charter high school?
Yes. California EC Section 47605(b)(5)(A)(ii) (Outside Source) requires that each charter for a school serving high school students include a description of procedures the school will use to notify parents about course transferability to other public high schools and the eligibility of courses to meet college entrance requirements. A school district governing board may establish criteria for accepting course credits earned at another school and may disallow credits where it deems it appropriate to do so.
Q.9 Can a charter school require each student to participate in state testing?
Please see Charter Schools FAQ Section 6 Question 1.
Questions and answers associated with this topic were revised to conform with recent changes in the law. Please review the Charter School-Legislative Updates for a summary of the recent changes.
