Public charter schools prepare students for the future and provide a quality education. 

• Charter schools are tuition-free public schools open to all students regardless of zip code, race/ethnicity, income, or ability level. 
• The “charter” establishing each public charter school is a contract detailing the school’s mission, program, goals, methods of assessment and ways to measure success. Charter schools can be closed if they do not fulfill the high standards established in their contracts with a charter school authorizer.

• All Georgia charter schools are nonprofit organizations overseen by individual volunteer boards of directors.
• There are no entrance exams or other special requirements for admission to a charter school. Charter school students are diverse and reflect their communities.
• Charter schools are independently managed public schools that are part of Georgia’s public school system. 
• Charter schools use their autonomy to offer unique solutions in areas such as curriculum, governance, leadership and operations. In exchange, they are held accountable to high financial, academic and managerial standards by an authorizer that approves the school’s “charter” or contract to operate.
• When demand for charter school enrollment exceeds capacity, charter schools are required to conduct a random lottery drawing in which all students seeking to enroll have an equal chance of selection. 
• Charter schools receive public funding based on the number of students enrolled. 
• Charter schools empower teachers by giving them the flexibility to creatively teach, use new approaches and take ownership of their classrooms to improve learning for their students.   
• Charter schools operate with integrity and are held to the same state and federal education standards as district schools.

• Yes. Charter schools are public schools. They receive public funding, cannot charge tuition, must have fair and open enrollment, must be secular, and are required to serve all student populations, including students with disabilities and English language learners.

A charter school is required to conduct a random lottery when there are more applicants then there are seats available in the school.

• Public charter schools must have the same open enrollment and admission standards as traditional public schools.
• With the exception of legally allowable admission enrollment preferences such as siblings of current students, charter schools cannot deny admission to any applicant as long as there are available seats.

Schools may seek authorization through a local school district or the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC). Charter petitions must also receive approval from the Georgia Department of Education. For more information on the charter petition process, please visit the SCSC’s website or the websites for local school districts. Schools authorized by the SCSC are independent single-school districts. Locally-authorized charter schools are independently-operated schools that are approved and governed by local boards of education.

Authorizers decide who can start a new charter school, set academic and operational expectations, and oversee school performance. They also decide whether a charter should remain open or close at the end of its contract.

Existing local schools, local boards of education, private individuals, private organizations, and state and local public entities may organize a charter public school, except that a charter petitioner for a local charter school shall be a party other than the local board of education. A charter school is subject to a performance-based contract approved by both the state and local boards of education, by the State Board of Education alone, or by the State Charter Schools Commission.

The Georgia Strategic Charter School Growth Initiative is providing financial and technical support to help new charter schools.