Charter Schools

Education news, analysis, and opinion about publicly funded independently-operated schools

See also: School Choice

Explainer

Students arrive for classes at Alliance Collins Family College-Ready High School, a public charter school in Huntington Park, Calif.
What Are Charter Schools?
This Education Week explainer answers frequently asked questions about charter schools.
View Explainer
Penelope Koutoulas holds signs supporting school choice in a House committee meeting on education during a special session of the state legislature Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
Penelope Koutoulas holds signs supporting school choice in a House committee meeting on education during a special session of the state legislature on Jan. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. The federal government has made its biggest push yet for school choice under the Trump administration.
George Walker IV/AP
School Choice & Charters Private School Choice Gets Supercharged in Trump's 2nd Term
At the same time, his administration is pledging to dial back the federal role in education.
Brooke Schultz, October 9, 2025
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6 min read
Tanya Bryant, CEO of ReNEW Schools for Education Week.
Tanya Bryant, the CEO of ReNEW Schools, visits the ReNEW Dolores T. Aaron Academy in New Orleans' 9th Ward on July 31, 2025. The school serves students in pre-K through 8th grade and is part of the ReNEW charter school network that Bryant leads.
L. Kasimu Harris for Education Week
School & District Management The Storm, Aftermath, and Recovery: How Katrina Shaped This Educator's Career
An educator's pre- and post-Katrina work shows how a generation of teachers had a front-row seat to dramatic changes in New Orleans schools.
Evie Blad, August 19, 2025
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9 min read
Amber Powell, a first grade teacher, and Dr. Vera Triplett, CEO/Founder, of Noble Minds Institute for Whole Child Learning.
Vera Triplett, the CEO and founder of Noble Minds Institute for Whole Child Learning, right, walks with Amber Powell, a 1st grade teacher, on Aug. 6, 2025. The school, located in the East Carrollton neighborhood of New Orleans, will convert to a private, independent school this school year.
L. Kasimu Harris for Education Week
School & District Management Q&A This School Leader Still Sees the Effects of Hurricane Katrina, 20 Years Later
Vera Triplett is concerned about the number of schools that have shut down in her city in the years since Katrina.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 19, 2025
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6 min read
Gabe Kidner and Lilly Petersen, along with classmates from Highmark Charter School in South Weber, Utah, release small trout that they worked to raise at Adams Reservoir in Layton, Utah, on May 15, 2017.
Students from Highmark Charter School in South Weber, Utah, release small trout that they worked to raise at Adams Reservoir in Layton, Utah, on May 15, 2017. The number of rural states that now allow charter schools has increased significantly over the past 10 years.
Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP
School Choice & Charters Are Charter Schools the Right Fit for Rural Communities?
Rural charter leaders face challenges growing student enrollment and providing access to services.
Ciara Meyer, August 8, 2025
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6 min read
Robert Hill, Head of School at Alice M. Harte Charter School, talks with students in New Orleans on Dec. 18, 2018. Charter schools, which are publicly funded and privately operated, are often located in urban areas with large back populations, intended as alternatives to struggling city schools.
Robert Hill, Head of School at Alice M. Harte Charter School, talks with students in New Orleans on Dec. 18, 2018. Charter schools tend to be more popular in urban rather than rural areas.
Gerald Herbert/AP
School Choice & Charters The 3 States That Don't Allow Charter Schools—and Why
Rural states were historically resistant to charter schools, but that has changed in recent years.
Ciara Meyer, August 4, 2025
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7 min read
School Choice & Charters Spotlight Spotlight on The Landscape of Charter Schools
This Spotlight explores the dynamic and evolving world of school choice, focusing on charter schools and private school choice programs.
July 15, 2025
Supporters of charter schools rally outside of the Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington.
Supporters of religious charter schools rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on April 30 as the justices weighed Oklahoma's approval of such a charter. On May 22, the court tied 4-4, leaving in place an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that said such religious charters were unconstitutional.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Law & Courts Religious Charter School Blocked After Supreme Court Deadlock
The U.S. Supreme Court's 4-4 split over a religious charter school affirms a lower court ruling against the school but sets no precedent.
Mark Walsh, May 22, 2025
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6 min read
From the left, kindergarteners Kiera Lee, Jenny Sun, Gilbert Li, and Avelyn Fong, wait in line to walk the red carpet while listening to music from Beauty and the Beast, on the first day of school, at the Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School, K to 1, on South Broad Street, in Philadelphia on Sept. 9, 2019.
Students wait in line on the first day of school at the Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School in Philadelphia on Sept. 9, 2019. The Trump administration has increased funding for charter school grants by $60 million.
Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP
Education Funding Education Department Adds $60 Million in Grants for Charter Schools
The department will free up the funding after it gained more spending leeway in a March budget bill.
Brooke Schultz, May 16, 2025
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5 min read
Supporters of charter schools rally outside of the Supreme Court on April 30, 2025, in Washington.
Supporters of religious charter schools rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on April 30, 2025, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Appears Open to Religious Charter School
The U.S. Supreme Court grappled with whether charter schools are public schools and whether the Constitution permits a religious charter.
Mark Walsh, April 30, 2025
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7 min read
Supreme Court 25091823131249
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington on April 1, 2025. The court on April 30 will take up a much-debated case about whether a state must allow a religious charter school.
Law & Courts Supreme Court Case Could Reshape Landscape for Charter and Religious Schools
The U.S. Supreme Court on April 30 will take up the much-debated case of a Roman Catholic charter school in Oklahoma.
Mark Walsh, April 28, 2025
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9 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Law & Courts Opinion Can States Bar Religious Charter Schools? The Supreme Court Will Soon Decide
Recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions suggest that bans on faith-based charter schools may violate the Free Exercise Clause.
Rick Hess, March 25, 2025
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13 min read
People Waiting In Line Before Brass Scale On Blue Background
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Law & Courts Religious Charters, LGBTQ+ Books, and More: A Winter Legal Roundup
This winter, key court cases tackled school desegregation, parental rights, religious charters, LGBTQ+ policies, and education funding.
Mark Walsh, March 19, 2025
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7 min read
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen near sunset in Washington, Oct. 18, 2018.
The Trump administration has filed briefs supporting conservative positions in two high-profile U.S. Supreme Court cases on religion and public education.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Law & Courts Trump Admin. Backs Catholic Charter, LGBTQ+ Lesson Opt-Outs in Supreme Court
The Trump administration filed briefs supporting conservative positions in two big cases on religion and public education
Mark Walsh, March 13, 2025
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5 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Student Achievement Opinion Schools Experienced a 'Lost Decade.' How They Can Recover
Recent NAEP results underscore concerns about student achievement. A charter school founder suggests what to do.
Rick Hess, March 4, 2025
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9 min read
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