For the Media

Charter schools are independent public schools that exist to offer students, parents and educators choices of teaching and learning methods and environments. An emphasis is placed on innovation and accountability with improved student achievement the common goal.

Public charter schools are intended to improve our nation’s traditional public school system. There are now nearly 5,000 public charter schools in 39 states and the District of Columbia, educating more than 1.6 million public charter school students. Charter schools are public schools because, while independently operated, they are:

  • Tuition-free and open to every student who wishes to enroll.
  • Non-sectarian, and do not discriminate on any basis.
  • Publicly funded by local, state and federal tax dollars based on enrollment like other public schools.
  • Held accountable to state and federal academic standards.

North Carolina passed its charter law in 1996. The law allows only 100 charter schools to open, with a maximum of five per school district per year. Today there are there are an estimated 40,000 charter school students with another 15,000 on waiting lists.

Charters should have the flexibility to try innovative ways of improving learning with the goal of sharing what works with the broader public school system so that all students benefit.

NC Alliance for Public Charter Schools

The North Carolina Alliance for Public Charter Schools (“Alliance”) is a 501 (c) (3), nonprofit, non-partisan organization with a mission of advancing quality educational opportunities for all North Carolina children by supporting and expanding successful public charter schools.

Our objectives are:

  1. To advance quality educational opportunities for NC students.
  2. To become the primary advocacy organization and voice for charter schools in North Carolina.
  3. To educate the public about what charter schools are and why they are needed.
  4. To create a communications forum for the charter community.
  5. To enhance the legislative and regulatory environment.
  6. To harness the collective charter resources to leverage those resources.
  7. To provide an annual conference and workshops to share best practices.