The Benefits of a Charter School

Charter schools achieve an ideal balance between private and public education. For those unfamiliar, charter schools use public funding (except for costs related to their facilities) and serve as an alternative to standard public school systems. The rest of a charter school’s funding is secured by private donors.

As the movement for school choice grows in popularity across the country, parents are provided with new options when it comes to their children's education. The days of choosing between neighborhood public schools and often unaffordable private schools are gone. Today, parents can seek new, alternative models for schooling at no cost. Here, Oregon Charter Academy discusses a few charter school benefits that make this option increasingly appealing for both students and their families.

Diversity

Because charter schools are not district-specific, this means any family in the surrounding areas can apply to them. This provides a stark contrast to the traditional public school model, which is limited to the population of select neighborhoods. Accessibility to all students results in a diverse student body, preparing students for the real world once their high school years are finished and they move on to colleges or trade schools.

More Individualized Attention

Oftentimes, charter schools have smaller class sizes than public schools, which may be overcrowded with high student-to-teacher ratios. According to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the average charter school instructor has 19.8 students in their classroom, as compared to an average of 21.3 kids for public school teachers. This allows students to have more individualized attention from their teachers, and studies have even shown that smaller class sizes often lead to stronger academic performance.

Specialized Areas of Study

Many charter schools provide specialties in a particular area, such as the arts, science and technology, or athletics. This can be particularly attractive to students who have a strong area of interest and may also motivate them to invest in their education. Further, some charter schools model learning programs on colleges and universities and allow students to choose a major. This approach prepares them for academic readiness in higher education and allows students to feel empowered and independent through greater freedom of choice.

Ability to Deviate from Traditional Models

While charter schools are required to administer standardized tests, most teachers don’t feel obligated to simply “teach the test” to their students. Because charters are granted for a particular window of time, usually for three to five years, the charter is only renewed if the performance targets are achieved. Therefore, it is in the charter school’s best interest to strive for high performance and create a curriculum that motivates kids to learn and exceed standards.

Although charter schools accept public funding, they can avoid much of the red tape associated with regular public schools and can devote more energy and resources to helping students achieve educational excellence by thinking outside of the box. Sometimes this is presented in the forms of group project-based learning and more expressive-based ways of demonstrating learning outcomes outside of essays and tests. This can also allow charter schools to offer classes outside a typical public school, sometimes in the form of financial planning, media literacy, and even robotics classes, offering students a well-rounded education that they may not have access to at public schools.

Learn More about Charter School Advantages

These are just a few of the charter school benefits that students can reap when they attend Oregon Charter Academy. We also offer a virtual learning platform and many student activities. For more information, contact us today.