What is a charter school?

A charter school is a public school which is a school of choice.  Students apply to go to a charter school and are chosen by a lottery. While charter schools must follow the same major laws and regulations as all other public schools, they are free to have alternative curricula, different governance structures and promote innovative programs. Students do not pay to go to a charter school.

A charter school can pick its focus (for us it's arts-integration and literacy), it can set its own enrollment and class sizes. In Virginia, charters are granted by the local Board of Education once an extensive application process has been successfully completed. Our charter school will have its own School Management Team that will oversee our school and report to the Albemarle School Board.

Some students may find that the rigors of the charter school environment far exceed their friends' experiences in traditional schools. Also, charter schools are monitored at a much higher level than traditional schools. There are over 3500 charter schools in the United States. Two of the four charter schools in Virginia are in Albemarle County.

Is Community Public Charter School right for your sixth grader?

The Community Public Charter School Program is designed for struggling learners. 

We are looking for students who might:

• be one or more years behind in reading and/or math
  
• learn differently from how school is traditionally taught
  
• lack of motivation to do well in school
  
• experience difficulties with peers
  
• have poor organizational skills
  
• show an interest in learning through the arts
  
• thrive in a smaller middle school environment
  
• perform better with more active, experiential, hands-on-learning