Pennsylvania Charter Schools: A History

During the 2020–21 school year, 169,000 Pennsylvania students attended one of the state’s 163 brick-and-mortar or 14 cyber charter schools. Research shows that charter schools—and the competition they provide—play an important role in increasing student achievement, even in traditional district schools. So, what are these free public schools that make such a significant impact on our commonwealth’s education ecosystem, and how did they come to exist?

Charter schools are publicly-funded, privately-run schools that are available to students through an application process. While charter schools must comply with many educational mandates relating to health and safety, civil rights, and accountability measures, they generally operate independently of traditional school districts and the educational mandates placed on them.

The idea of charter schools started with a New England educator named Ray Budde during the 1970s. His progressive idea was to allow groups of teachers the freedom to band together to experiment with and pursue alternative styles of learning. The concept of charter schools eventually grew and even gained the support of the former president of the American Federation for Teachers, Albert Shanker.

Charter schools continued to grow in popularity and states began to adopt charter school programs by the 1990s. Pennsylvania passed its Charter School Law in 1997, and charter schools have since enriched Pennsylvania’s public education by spurring competition and innovation, increasing student learning, and providing choice to students and their families.

Without the strict requirements of one-size-fits-all school mandates, charter schools have been free to innovate and experiment with various learning models. And many parents have gained the ability to select a school that best meets their kids’ needs. Since Pennsylvania enacted its Charter School Law, our local school districts have authorized charter schools as diverse as those with a focus on Montessori learning and a focus on the performing arts.

Charter schools are more racially diverse, and serve a significant number of low-income students. Additionally, charter schools serve a higher proportion of special needs students when compared to their district school counterparts. Without the bureaucracy that often accompanies traditional district schools, charter schools are more adept at responding to these unique student populations’ needs.

Notably, charter schools—funded through tax dollars that follow individual students from their home district to the charter school of their choice—operate on a modest budget when compared to their traditional district school counterparts. On average, charter schools receive about 27 percent less per student.

Pennsylvania requires all its charter schools to be public, non-profit organizations. They are primarily kept accountable in two ways: by the authorizing school board and the Pennsylvania Department of Education—which has the authority to renew, or not renew, a school’s charter—and by families, themselves. While charter schools infuse competition into the entire educational ecosystem, they must attract students to stay open.

As lawmakers consider changes to Pennsylvania’s charter school program, it’s important for parents to know the important role that charter schools play in Pennsylvania’s education system.