Free, Public, Open to All

Charter schools are free, public schools that operate independently of traditional school districts. Like district schools, charter schools are publicly funded, but operate independently. A charter school’s independence comes with increased accountability. Any charter not fulfilling their educational mission runs the risk of being closed by their respective authorizer.

The Connecticut Board of Education, which authorizes charter schools in CT, set forth the guidelines under which these schools operate. Charter schools must be re-authorized by the Board every few years.

This model gives educators more freedom in creating specialized curricula, allowing students and families more flexibility in choosing an education that is right for them.

Connecticut’s charter schools are serving the families most in need of choice:

93% of Connecticut’s charter school students are Black and brown.

65% of Connecticut’s charter school students come from low-income households.

Charter School FAQ

Charter schools are public schools that offer personalized learning experiences for students, no matter their needs, circumstances, and learning styles. Charter schools offer freedom and flexibility for families in choosing a type of education of their children and schools have more flexibility to innovate and implement unique programs for students.

Charter schools, as public schools, are free to attend.

Charters schools are primarily funded through the state of Connecticut, and may also receive funding from federal or foundational grants. Charter schools typically receive less public funding than nearby traditional district schools.

Charter schools have an open admissions process during their enrollment period, typically in the early spring. According to the terms of their charter agreement, charter schools have a specified number of seats available for each grade level. If there are more applications than seats available, charter schools will conduct a randomized public lottery. Once a student is chosen through the lottery, they cannot be turned down for any reason.

Charter schools are open to all students, no matter their ZIP code. When there are more applicants than seats available, charter schools must hold a random public lottery to admit students. Charter schools are held accountable for meeting enrollment and retention targets for disadvantaged groups of students.

Charters are allotted an initial term by the state’s sole charter school authorizer – the Connecticut State Board of Education. As a part of this process, the school creates a charter, or plan, that includes standards for test performance, graduation rates (if applicable) and operational and financial requirements to which it is held accountable. Annual audits can include written reports and site visits to determine if the school is meeting the standards set forth in its charter. When it is up for renewal, a school that is deemed to have successfully met these requirements are allowed to continue operating for up to 5 more years at a time. Schools that have not met their requirements may receive additional conditions to meet to continue operating, given shorter renewal term limits, or may even be closed.

All staff serving in Connecticut’s public charter schools must be authorized by the state to serve in those schools, and the state regularly reviews schools for compliance.

Charter schools students are often outpacing and improving faster than their traditional public school peers. More than 80% of public charter school students in Connecticut are outpacing their traditional public school peers in year over year academic improvement in math and English Language Arts.