charter school

American  

[chahr-ter skool] / ˈtʃɑr tər ˌskul /

noun

• charter schools
  plural

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• charter schools
  plural

Etymology

Origin of charter school

First recorded in 1800–10; current use dates from 1985–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

charter school

The National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation applied last year to the Oklahoma charter school board to open a virtual charter that teaches “state-approved academic standards alongside Jewish religious studies.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Scholarship Prep South Bay, a Wilmington charter school, touts a rare benchmark of success.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

I founded an all-boys charter school in 2021, with the goal of helping black boys who basically stopped learning during Covid shutdowns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

She said auditors in Ohio created a “false narrative” about her charter school and her actions, and that she took a plea deal only after being exhausted emotionally and financially by a drawn-out investigation.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

It is a small charter school, public, just 140 students, but U.S.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel