Posted on July 19, 2019 by skylineadmin
Are you looking at school options for your child in Arizona?
We have put together this guide to help you understand what public charter schools are and how your child (or children) could attend. Tuition-free public charter schools provide unique learning approaches that are an excellent fit for many children. We want to make the enrollment process as simple as possible by providing accurate information for parent’s most frequently asked questions.
This guide will provide answers to questions like, “What is a tuition-free public school?”, “What tuition-free public school options are available in Arizona?” and “How do I enroll my student in charter school?”
If you are looking for answers to questions like these, read on!
AZCharters.org offers this definition of tuition-free public charter schools in Arizona,
Charter schools are public schools that are innovative while still being held accountable for improved student achievement. Charter schools are funded by the state and free to all Arizona students. They vary in mission and model, serving a wide range of students.
With 547 public charter schools serving over 180,000 students, charters play an integral role in shaping the lives of Arizona’s youth.
For almost all children, if they live in Arizona, they have a public charter school available for them to attend. That being said, ideally, you will be able to find a great public charter school close to home.
If you live in the Chandler, AZ area we would love for you to come by and check out AZ Compass Prep if your child is in 7 – 12 grades. If your child is in grades K – 6 Vector Prep and Arts Academy is a great option as well (both schools are located on the same campus).
If you live elsewhere in Arizona, you can see all of the schools we offer on the following webpage .https://www.skylineschools.com/schools/
Tuition-free public charter schools are free in Arizona to eligible students.
Arizona’s public charter schools are required by law to accept all students and they must enroll and provide educational services to special education and English Learner students. A.R.S §15-184
According to the Arizona Charter School Association, no matter where you live in Arizona, students have access to public charter schools.
The enrollment process varies across schools, but we offer the following admissions checklist to help guide you through the enrollment process:
You can get started enrolling with any of our Skyline schools by visiting our admissions web page.
By law, charter schools cannot have admission processes that unlawfully discriminate against students. Charter schools accept all students who want to attend. If there are more students who want to attend than there are seats available, a charter school will use a process to randomly select students, oftentimes a lottery system.
The answer to both of these questions is yes! From AZCharters.org,
Charter Students Boasted Larger NAEP Gains than Any State
NAEP results show significant gains over the last eight years, with public charter students outperforming their district and private school peers in every grade level and on every subject tested. This trend is most evident in the scores for eighth-grade reading and math. When separated and measured as if they were their own state, Arizona charter students rank first in the nation in eighth-grade math, and second for eighth-grade reading.
The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools was created through legislation in 1994 to grant charter status to qualifying applicants and to oversee public charter schools. Charter schools are public, state-funded schools that operate under a charter contract with a charter school sponsor or authorizer. The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools oversees more than 500 public charter schools throughout the state making it the largest authorizer in Arizona. Below are some facts about public charter school oversight.
Public Charter Schools…
Tuition-free public charter schools in Arizona are public schools, but they have more flexibility in choosing their mission and model of education.
For instance, the mission of our school, AZ Compass Prep, is:
AZ Compass School is a unique concept school focused on academics, arts, and athletics designed to provide excellence and responsive education services to at-risk students and families who are seeking a successful pre-professional career preparation experience without sacrificing post-secondary education opportunities.
But other public charter schools will have different missions and approaches. A great aspect of charter schools is that you can find the mission and values that work best for your child.
We hope this guide was useful in answering some of the basic questions related to public charter schools in Arizona. If you are interested in learning more about public charter schools for your child, please feel free to contact us.