Charter School Advantage

Why Charter Schools? Charter schools are a different kind of public school—the kind that is less restrained and more likely to be innovative.

What are charter schools

Charter schools are tuition-free, publicly funded schools with many of the same requirements as traditional public schools. Not only do charter schools offer an alternative to traditional public schools, they often implement a unique focus and alternative learning styles. Charter schools are independently managed, operating under a charter, or an agreement between the school board and the sponsor. Charter schools improve education by giving parents more choices and offering students more creative approaches to learning. Charter schools have the freedom to innovate but are held to high standards of performance. At OCCS, we sponsor 48 charter schools, all of which are held accountable by our organization and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.

Similarities:

As public schools, charter schools are similar to traditional district schools in many areas critical to the education of students. For instance, they are:

40,000

Students served by OCCS

Innovation

Due to heightened accountability, charter schools may innovate in the following ways:

  • Implementing a Unique Mission, Focus or Curriculum
  • Lengthening the School Day/School Year
  • Selecting, Retaining, & Rewarding Teachers
  • Special Use of Technology

Enrollment Growth

  • Charter school enrollment has increased by about 492,000 students from 2019-2020 to 2024-2025, a growth of 14.69%.

Performance Relative to Population Trends

  • In 84% of states, the growth in charter school enrollment has outpaced the growth in the school-aged population, showing that charter schools are a preferred choice among many families seeking alternatives to traditional public education.

Choice

  • The growth in charter school enrollment demonstrates the value of choice and opportunity for families. Families actively choose charter schools to better meet their children’s needs, highlighting their role in providing innovative, responsive education.

In addition, they are required to abide by state and federal laws and regulations in the areas of:

As A Matter of Fact:

Over the past four school years, at least 75% of OCCS-sponsored schools have earned an equal or better Performance Index Grade than their local district.