GET THE FACTS
ON RI’S TUITION-FREE, PUBLIC, AND OPEN TO ALL CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
WHAT ARE CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
There’s a lot of misinformation out there about charter public schools. Chances are, you’ve heard at least one of the many myths circulating about our schools. We believe in the importance of sharing information transparently and, when available, leveraging impartial data. We will be the first to celebrate the good, point out the could-be-better, and acknowledge the we-don’t-know-but-we’re-committed-to-figuring-it-out.
At the League, our job is to make sure the public has the facts:
Rhode Island’s charter public schools are tuition-free, public, and open to all.
They receive public school funding and are held to the highest standard of accountability of any public school in the state. In exchange for this stricter oversight, charter public schools are granted a series of flexibilities when it comes to their day-to-day operations and programming.
In Rhode Island, every student has equitable access to a charter public school education.
Given the high demand from families for charter public school seats, charter public schools are required to enroll students through a fair, impartial, and transparent lottery process. This ensures that every student, regardless of their background or educational need, has equitable access to a charter public school education.
Like all public schools in the state, charter public schools are ultimately accountable to the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE).
Rhode Island’s charter public schools are held to the highest accountability standards of any public school in the state. Rhode Island’s single authorizer system, where only RIDE can approve new charter public schools, means a stringent, transparent, and equitable process for new school applications.
Charter public schools are also governed by a group of deeply committed community volunteers.
Charter public schools are also governed by a volunteer board of directors, made up of community members and other local stakeholders. RI’s charter public school board members volunteer their time to serve on these boards, and share a deep commitment to ensuring every child in Rhode Island has access to a high-quality public school. Like school committees and boards of education, charter public school boards are subject to the open meeting law, conflict of interest law, and public records requirements.
As a charter public school community:
We trust and empower teachers.
We support parents and families.
We believe in every student’s potential.
To learn more about charter public schools, download our Charter Public School Fact Sheet.
RI’S CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS AT-A-GLANCE
Did you know that there are over 35 charter public schools in Rhode Island serving close to 13,000 students across the state?*
From Saunderstown to Cumberland to Providence, RI’s charter public schools are embedded in their local communities and provide a high-quality public school option to families across our state.
*Student enrollment figure is as of SY 2023-2024 enrollment.
Did you know that many of RI’s charter public schools offer specialized programming?
From the arts to trades to the environment, the diversity of educational models helps to ensure all students can attend at school that best meets their unique needs.
ARTS
THEATRE
CULINARY
DUAL LANGUAGE
ENVIRONMENT
NURSING
SCIENCES
EXPERIMENTAL LEARNING
CONSTRUCTION TRADES
EDUCATION PREP
COLLEGE & CAREER PREP
DIVERSE BY DESIGN
RI’S CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS SERVE ALL KIDS
%
Multilingual Learners
%
Students with Disabilities
%
Free & Reduced Lunch
RI’S CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE THE STRICTEST OVERSIGHT
Assessed for renewal at least every 5 years by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE)
Managed by public/volunteer boards of directors, and subject to stringent annual performance reviews regarding, academics, finances, operations, and regulatory compliance
Governed by many of the same laws and regulations as all of RI’s public schools
Single authorizer system (only RIDE can approve new schools), means a stringent, transparent, and equitable process for new charter applications
To learn more about charter public school accountability, download our Accountability Fact Sheet and RIDE’s comprehensive Charter School Performance Review System below.
RI’S CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE INEQUITABLY FUNDED (AND WE ARE FIGHTING TO CHANGE THAT)
Charter public schools are asked to do more, with less.
Charter public school students receive up to $3,000 less in per pupil funding compared to their district public school peers. Charter public schools also don’t get equitable funding when it comes to transportation or facilities, further increasing inequity.
Charter public schools also don’t get equitable funding when it comes to transportation or facilities, further increasing inequity.
We believe all public school students should be funded equitably regardless of the type of public school they attend.
RI's public schools are under resourced when it comes to high needs students.
Students in charter public and district public schools with large populations of multilingual learners, students from low income households, and students with disabilities don’t receive additional funding to provide the educational support required.
Charter public schools continue to educate student populations with higher concentrations of poverty and multilingual learner populations than the state as a whole.
We believe all public schools need additional resources to effectively support their highest needs students.