charter school

noun

an autonomous public school created by a contract between a sponsor, as a local school district or corporation, and an organizer, as a group of teachers or a community group, often with a curriculum or focus that is not traditional.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for charter school

Contemporary Examples of charter school

Make sure that communities have a real voice in charter-school governance.
Not Everyone Is Waiting for Superman
Danielle Moss Lee
September 24, 2010

Word Origin and History for charter school

older uses refer to schools in Ireland begun 1733 by the Charter Society to provide Protestant education to poor Catholic children. Modern use in U.S. began c.1988, as an alternative to state-run public education.