Who can attend a charter school?
Pennsylvania students are eligible to attend a charter school at no charge to their families. The students of the school district that grants the charter receive first preference. Students from outside the district can attend tuition-free on a space-available basis. The school district in which a student resides is responsible for charter school funding. If there are more applicants than spaces available, students shall be selected by lottery. Additionally, a charter school may be a regional school, approved by more than one school district, allowing the approving districts’ students equal access to the charter school’s lottery. Students from outside the approving districts can attend regional charter schools tuition-free on a space-available basis. Charter schools may establish reasonable criteria for admission to a particular grade level or area of concentration, e.g., pre-requisites in technology, math, science, or the performing arts. In 1999, the General Assembly amended the chart
The Tennessee charter school law outlines who can attend charter schools: • Students who were previously enrolled in a charter school. • Students who are assigned to, or were previously enrolled in a school failing to make adequate yearly progress (AYP), as defined by the state’s accountability system, giving priority to at-risk students. • Students who, in the previous school year, failed to test proficient in the subjects of language arts/reading or mathematics in grades three (3) through eight (8) on the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program examinations (TCAP). • Students who, in the previous school year, failed to test proficient on the gateway examinations in language arts/reading or mathematics. • Free or reduced price lunch students in grades K-3, though a charter school cannot enroll more than 25% of their total enrollment from this category. The remaining enrollment must come from the above categories.
Any student who resides in the school district in which the charter school is located and who submits a timely application may attend a charter school. If the number of applications exceeds the capacity of the school, all applicants will have an equal chance of being admitted through a random selection process or lottery. Enrollment preference may be given to students who reside in the school’s attendance zone, which is defined in the charter contract. A sibling of a resident student currently enrolled in the charter school may also be given enrollment preference. A charter school cannot have admission criteria.
Charter schools are public schools of choice. Any student who lives in the charter school’s school district and who submits a timely application may attend a charter school. If the number of applications exceeds the school’s capacity, applicants will be selected through a lottery process. A charter school may not have admission criteria.
