What is a Charter School?

A charter school is a public school that operates independently of a local school district’s board of education under a charter granted by the State Commissioner of Education. Once a charter is approved and established, the school is managed by a board of trustees with status as a public agent authorized by the State Board of Education. A charter school is a corporate entity with all the powers needed to carry out its charter program.

New Jersey’s charter school law was passed to give parents choices for their children's education. The law is intended to:

• Improve student learning and achievement;
• Increase the availability of choice to parents and students when selecting a learning environment;
• Encourage the use of different and innovative learning methods;
• Establish a new system of accountability for schools;
• Make the school the unit for educational improvement;
• Establish new professional opportunities for teachers.

Charter schools cannot charge tuition.

A charter school is open to all students on a space-available basis with preference being given to students from the charter school’s district or region of residence.

All classroom teachers and professional support staff must hold appropriate New Jersey certification.

Some statistics, as of January 2011:

• Unity Charter School is the only charter school in Morris County;
• New Jersey has 73 approved charter schools;
• New Jersey's charter schools are serving more than 22,000 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12;
• By September 2011, 97 charter schools will be serving more than 25,000 students in New Jersey
• Fifteen counties currently have approved charter schools.

Additional information about New Jersey Charter Schools can be found on the Department of Education website: www.state.nj.us/education/chartsch.