What is a charter school?

A charter school is a type of public school. Charter schools provide education through a "charter," which is a type of contract granted by a chartering entity such as the State Board of Education or the board of trustees of an independent school district.

What are the purposes of charter schools?

The purposes of charter schools are to:

1. Improve student learning.
2. Increase the choice of learning opportunities within the public school system.
3. Create professional opportunities that will attract new teachers to the public school system.
4. Establish a new form of accountability for public schools.
5. Encourage different and innovative learning methods.

How are open-enrollment charter schools funded?

Like independent school districts, open-enrollment charter schools receive state funds based on the average daily attendance (ADA) of students. Unlike independent school districts, however, open-enrollment charter schools do not receive funds from local tax revenue and do not have access to state facilities allotments. Open-enrollment charter schools may also receive funds from private funding sources.

Who can attend a charter school?

Charter schools are public schools of choice. Any student who lives in the charter school's school district and who submits a timely application may attend a charter school. If the number of applications exceeds the school's capacity, applicants will be selected through a lottery process. A charter school may not have admission criteria.

What about transportation?

Harmony Science Academy at Houston is not able to provide transportation at this time. That’s because the school is not zoned like traditional public schools, which makes a large number of transportation zones. The number of students from the same transportation zone is not yet sufficient to make the transportation available to our parents at a reasonable cost. Therefore you are responsible for your own transportation.