Charter schools are an important piece of the public education landscape in New Jersey. With 88 schools in operation, charters currently enroll more than 54,000 students. They were created to give educators the freedom to innovate and design educational environments tailored to students and their families. To achieve this, public charter schools have increased autonomy over curriculum, staffing, and operations. 

Free and open to all students, charter schools are not private schools, do not charge tuition, and do not require entrance exams. They employ a fair enrollment process, which can include a random lottery should the number of students wanting to attend exceed the available space.

Charter schools are authorized under a charter granted by the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE), which is the sole charter authorizer in the state. In addition to the DOE, charter schools are also governed by their own boards of trustees, which operate independently of the local school board. Charter schools are subject to laws related to health, safety, certification, student assessment, academic standards, and civil rights, as well as ongoing state oversight, such as annual audits and a rigorous renewal process.

In New Jersey, charter schools are focused on: quality, equity, and innovation.

To learn more, visit https://www.njcharters.org .

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