For Profit vs. Non-Profit Charter Schools: What Parents Should Know About

It has been a few decades ago since charter schools were established, with the main purpose as to ensure the improvement in the public school system. Furthermore, charter schools were intended to give teachers more freedom and innovativeness in instructing students to attain greater academic achievement. Thus, these schools have provided much improvement in the quality of education that public schools can offer.

Charter schools maintain a strong partnership and collaboration with parents, students and educators. Hence, these schools serve as a learning environment where teachers practice innovation, efficiency and effectiveness in teaching, while parental involvement is encouraged. As for students, they receive a solid environment for learning with the presence of these key elements that make up a quality school.

Moreover, charter schools are required to comply with federal and state standards in academic performance, which means students can attain a high level of instruction that they need. At present, there are over 6,000 charter schools in the country, which educate millions of children across the different states.

For-Profit and Non-Profit Charter Schools – Key Qualities You Need to Know

Although, charter schools do not depend on a school district to operate, these are essentially public schools. Funds are received from public tax dollars, which is also what happens with traditional public schools. The tuition is free, and there are no special requirements to enroll in the school. These schools are also non-sectarian, which means there is no discrimination against any students regardless of their cultural background, religion and race.

The school has the freedom to select its management structure. At present, a huge percentage of charter schools across the state are non-profit and single-site institutions while 20 percent are operated by non-profit organizations with a few other charter schools.

However, a mere 13 percent of charter schools are run and managed by for-profit agencies. In the case of a for-profit charter school, they are expected to comply with regulations concerning finances and budget, which is quite similar as regular companies that the government entrusts to offer quality service.

Are Charter Schools for Profit Organizations?

Based on statistics by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, there are thousands of charter schools that are in existence in 41 states in the country, and these represent at least 5 percent of public schools in the nation. In addition, these schools offer the most comprehensive reform in the field of public education. This has been the situation for the past two decades, ever since the emergence of this type of school.

However, there are new concerns that have begun with the establishment of charter schools. For instance, there is the possibility for profit, although most of these schools are managed by organizations that are not-for-profit. There is the issue of the inability or instability of non-profits and even for-profit companies to run quality schools.

There are also some charter schools that operate online, and a large percentage of these virtual types of charter schools are operated by for-profit agencies. More and more school districts and states are transformed into for-profit agencies just to operate charter or contracted schools that run online. Although online learning is gaining much popularity with its promising innovations and developments, some questions arise, referring to the capabilities of these for-profit companies in running public schools.

Nevertheless, as long as the charter school can live by its standards and maintain a high quality of education, meet academic performance level and undertake its finance management goals, then it should not matter whether the school is non-profit or for-profit. The main thing is its ability to sustain its quality to spare the institution from closure due to substandard education.

Academic Achievement of Charter Schools

According to researchers, charter schools have attained mixed results in terms of its academic success and performance level. As with traditional schools, these institutions have varying quality, and there are charter schools that may match or fulfill the need of a student while other learners may be better off with another type of school.

Parents also have the option to choose another school in the public school system in case traditional education is not suitable to the needs of their children.

However, it is important to note that there are several instances when charter schools are successful in pushing traditional public school districts to further improve their educational standards and performance. These all contribute to the positive image and popularity of charter schools, whether it is for-profit or non-profit by nature.