Information and Data about Oakland Charter Schools
What is a charter school?
Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that are governed differently than district-managed schools. Charter schools are public in the sense that they are taxpayer funded, but they are independent in the sense that they are generally exempt from state and federal public education laws, except where specifically noted in the law. Like all public schools, charter schools must respect people's civil rights. Similar to district-run schools, charter schools can enroll any student, regardless of where they live. If the charter school does not have enough space to enroll all interested students, the charter school must hold a random lottery to determine who can enroll.
Each charter school in Oakland has an agreement (charter petition) with OUSD, Alameda County, or the state of California, which describes the grades offered, how the school will provide learning opportunities to its students, and how the school’s success will be measured. Each charter school is governed by an independent board, which is ultimately responsible for the school.
