What is a Charter School?

Charter schools are free, public schools. Charter schools are open to all students that live within the boundaries of Tulsa Public Schools. 

Families choose charter schools for a variety of reasons: the curriculum, school culture, specialized programming offered, and extra curricular activities, to name a few.

Most charter schools even provide transportation from a variety of locations across Tulsa!

As public schools, charter schools do not charge tuition or require admissions test. All students, including those qualifying for special education and those qualifying as gifted and talented, are welcome to attend. 

Charter schools are non-selective, which means if more applicants apply than seats available, a lottery is conducted to admit students.

Charter schools get increased flexibility in exchange for higher levels of accountability. Charter schools have flexibility over many critical aspects of schools in order to meet students' needs, including  their budget, school model, curriculum, and school culture. In exchange, charter schools are subject to higher levels of oversight to ensure student success. 

Charter schools provide an additional choice for families, just as magnet schools, dual language programs, and demonstration academies do. 

Each charter school offers parents a unique option: some are college prep, some are STEM-focused, some are arts-integrated. 

Charter schools are held to most of the same standards as traditional district schools, including state testing, meeting all applicable accreditation requirements, and state and federal reporting requirements.

In addition, charter schools are reviewed monthly by a board of directors and annually by Tulsa Public Schools though a charter school performance framework.

Find out more about charter schools in Oklahoma here:  http://www.okcharters.org/ 

Find out more about charter schools across our country here:  https://www.publiccharters.org/