Charter Schools vs. Private Schools
It may surprise you to know that charter schools are not private schools, but charter schools can certainly be described as private-ish, since they draw up their own curriculums and aren’t tied to certain state standards. So what exactly are the differences between the two?
In a Nutshell
Charter schools are public schools that are independent of school districts through contracts with state or local boards.
As public schools, charter schools are open to all children, do not require entrance exams, cannot charge tuition, and must participate in state testing and federal accountability programs. The schools draw up their own “charter” which is a set of rules and performance standards that they are held accountable to.
More: What is a Charter School?
Private schools are non-governmental schools that are not administered by local, state, or national governments.
Because they do not accept public funding of any kind (instead using tuition charged to students as their source of funding), they can be selective about which students to admit to their schools. Admission often involves a more in-depth application process, like requiring entrance exams and interviews. Private schools are autonomous at the federal level, but must adhere to basic state guidelines (such as agreeing to teach reading & math, and adhering to building codes).
More: Private School vs. Public Schools Breakdown
Comparing Charter Schools and Private Schools
Category | Private Schools | Charter Schools |
---|---|---|
Category
Costs
|
Private Schools
Tuition to enroll
|
Charter Schools
No tuition to enroll
|
Category
Funding
|
Private Schools
Funded independently through tuition, grants, alumni, and community
|
Charter Schools
Funded on a per-pupil basis with government funds
|
Category
Government Regulation
|
Private Schools
Autonomous at the federal level but must adhere to some basic state guidelines. Accreditation is optional.
|
Charter Schools
Independently run, but must meet standards outlined in their charter in order to secure state funding
|
Category
Teacher Certification
|
Private Schools
Teachers don't necessarily have to be certified
|
Charter Schools
Teachers don't necessarily have to be certified, but this differs from state to state
|
Category
Curriculum Flexibility
|
Private Schools
Flexibility with curriculum
|
Charter Schools
Curriculum is also flexible, but school is held accountable to a performance contract
|
Category
Application Process
|
Private Schools
Application process can be rigorous, based on entrance exams and interviews
|
Charter Schools
May have an application, but students do not have to take an entrance exam
|
Category
Selectivity
|
Private Schools
Can be selective about which students to enroll (e.g. all-girls schools)
|
Charter Schools
Cannot legally discriminate against students
|
Charter schools and private schools are similar in their autonomy from certain state government regulations and teacher certification, but their funding sources and application process separate them more drastically. Since charter schools are public schools, they must legally accept all children, though sometimes children are accepted through a lottery system if the charter school is popular and gets more applications than seats it can fill.
Private schools aren’t completely off the hook when it comes to state regulations — they must adhere to a very basic set of state regulations, which differ from state to state. Some examples of items included in these regulations are the length of school year, guarantees of types of subject matter (like reading, writing, math, biology), public health and safety requirements, etc.
Basic Statistics
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
Want to learn more about charter school statistics? With so much misinformation about charter schools in the media, we thought we’d share just the facts: what charter schools are, where they are, who goes to them, and how they’re performing.
Check out: Just the Facts: Charter School Statistics
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