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The Guide to Tuition-Free Public Charter Schools in Berkeley, California

Are you looking at school options for your child in Berkeley?

You may not know it, but there are great public school options that you have may not have considered. Tuition-free public charter schools provide unique learning approaches that are an excellent fit for many children.

One of our goals for GoToCharterSchool.com is to make the enrollment process as simple as possible by providing accurate information for parent’s most frequently asked questions.

This guide will provide answers to questions like, “What is a tuition-free public school?”,  “What tuition-free public school options are available in Berkeley?” and “How do I enroll my student in charter school?”

If you are looking for answers to questions like these, read on!

What is a tuition-free public charter school in California?

A charter school is a public school that provides instruction in any combination of grades, kindergarten through grade twelve. Parents, teachers, or community members may initiate a charter petition, which is typically presented to and approved by a local school district governing board. California Education Code (EC) also allows, under certain circumstances, for county boards of education and the State Board of Education to be charter authorizing entities.

Source: https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cs/re/qandasec1mar04.asp#q1

Charter schools are public schools that get funding from the state and have greater flexibility in hiring, curriculum, management and other aspects of their operations. Unlike traditional public schools that are run by school districts with an elected school board and a board-appointed superintendent, most charter schools are run by organizations with their own self-appointed boards.

In general, this independence gives charter schools more room to experiment and to come up with instructional and other innovations.

Source: https://edsource.org/2017/10-things-to-know-about-charter-schools/583984

What tuition-free public charter schools are available for students living in Berkeley?

REALM Charter School is a tuition-free public charter in Berkeley with both a Middle School and High School. REALM Charter School is a learning community founded on the principles of Love, Grit, and Action. REALM serves students in grades 6-12 with a focus on college preparedness, project-based learning, and social justice.

1222 UNIVERSITY AVE
BERKELEY, CA 94702
510-809-9800

Learn more about REALM Charter School

The California Department of Education also provides a charter school finder on their website for you to search for additional charter school options. 

What other counties and locations in California are served by tuition-free public charter schools in Berkeley?

Students enrolling in a charter school are not restricted to a certain county or school district. Parents may choose the school that they feel is most appropriate for their child. Charter schools in California must admit any child residing in the state who is qualified to attend California schools regardless of which school district the child resides in.

How do I enroll my child in a tuition-free public charter school?

Charter schools often require an application. Most applications require specific information, including name, address, birth date, name of last school attended, and ethnic background.

If you are considering enrolling your child in a charter school, you should pay close attention to any deadlines regarding that school’s enrollment policy. Some charter schools, particularly those in high demand, will have a waitlist.

Because enrollment policies and procedures vary from school to school, families should contact individual charter schools to obtain specific enrollment information.

Source: http://www.ccsa.org/understanding/families/

What are the requirements for acceptance into a charter school in Berkeley?

By law, charter schools cannot have admission processes that unlawfully discriminate against students. Charter schools accept all students who want to attend. If there are more students who want to attend than there are seats available, a charter school will use a process to randomly select students, oftentimes a lottery system.

Source: http://www.ccsa.org/understanding/families/

How much does it cost to attend a charter school?

Public charter schools are public schools and are tuition-free. Funding for the schools comes from the state.

Are public charter schools high quality?

  • Studies continue to show charter school students make greater academic progress than students in traditional public schools. Sixty-seven (67) percent of California’s charter schools met student achievement targets on state tests in the 2009-10 school year compared to just 57% of non-charter schools.
  • Among traditionally disadvantaged students, those attending charters make greater academic progress than those in traditional public schools. In 2009-10, 74% of charter schools met student achievement targets for disadvantaged students* compared to 59% of non-charter schools. (*these are calculated by assessing California Department of Education “comparable improvement targets”)
  • California’s charter middle schools consistently demonstrate higher academic performance than non-charter schools. For the past five years, charter middle schools have had higher API Growth scores than non-charter middle schools. In 2009-10, middle school charters outperformed non-charters across the state and with all subgroups.

Source: http://www.ccsa.org/understanding/results/

 

The Guide to Tuition-Free Public Charter Schools in Wayne County, NC

Are you looking at school options for your child in Wayne County, NC?

You may not know it, but there are great public school options that you have may not of considered in Wayne County.

One of our goals for GoToCharterSchool.com is to make the enrollment process as simple as process by providing accurate information for parent’s most frequently asked questions.

This guide will provide answers to questions like, “What is a tuition-free public school?”,  “What tuition-free public school options are available in Wayne County?” and “How do I enroll my student in charter school?”

If you are looking for answers to questions like these, read on!

What is a tuition-free public charter school in Wayne County?

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools of choice, but each charter school is governed independently by a 501c3 non-profit organization. They are typically funded at 80% of what traditional public schools receive. Many charter schools function very efficiently on a “less is more” philosophy. Charter schools typically focus on their own mix of proven academic strategies that best reach their student base. Charter schools also have their own mix of academic philosophies of what students they can serve best via academic remediation, high intellect, Socratic, Basic School, college preparation and STEM approaches to name just a few academic approaches within existing North Carolina charter schools. Unlike traditional public schools, every charter school must demonstrate success, or it will lose its charter.

Source: https://www.wpanc.org/what-is-a-charter-school.html

What tuition-free public charter schools are available for students living in Wayne County?

Wayne Preparatory Academy is a Tuition-Free Public Charter School serving Kindergarten through 8th Grade. We are a Leadership School that teaches the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to its scholars and staff. With an Academic Model focused on acceleration we are excited to offer an alternative choice in Public Education.

600 Tommy’s Road
Goldsboro, North Carolina 27530
​919-734-8085

To learn more about Wayne Preparatory Academy click here…

What other counties are served by tuition-free public charter schools in Wayne County?

 

Adjacent counties

Wilson County – north
Greene County – east-northeast
Lenoir County – east-southeast
Duplin County – south
Sampson County – southwest
Johnston County – west

How do I enroll my child in a tuition-free public charter school?

Parents should contact each individual school to inquire if it has openings and what the application process is for that charter school. If the school has more applicants than available slots, a lottery must be conducted to fill the slots. Charter school lotteries are required to be publicly conducted and may be attended by any member of the public.

Source: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/information/topics?role=parents&&topic=Enrollment

What are the requirements for acceptance into a charter school in Wayne Country?

Any child who qualifies to attend a NC public school under the laws of NC is also eligible to be accepted into a charter school. Parents must apply for the school they are interested in having their child/children attend by the stated application deadline. Parents should be aware that, based on the number of applicants for the available school slots, a lottery may be used by the school to determine who is accepted. In that case, acceptance is not guaranteed for all applicants.

Source: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/information/topics?role=parents&&topic=Enrollment

 

Am I permitted to enroll my child in a charter school that is not located in the local school district in which I live?

Yes. Students enrolling in a charter school are not restricted to one local school district. Parents may choose the school that they feel is most appropriate for their child. Charter schools in North Carolina must admit any child residing in NC who is qualified to attend NC schools regardless of which school district the child resides in.

Source: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/information/topics?role=parents&&topic=Enrollment

 

How much does it cost to attend a charter school?

Charter Schools are public schools and are tuition free. Funding for the schools come from federal, state, and local taxes. Charter schools shall not charge tuition or fees, except that a charter school may charge any fees that are charged by the local school administrative unit in which the school is located. A charter school, upon approval by the board of directors of the charter school, may establish fees for extracurricular activities charged by a local school administrative unit in which forty percent (40%) or more of the students enrolled in the charter school reside.

Source: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/information/topics?role=parents&&topic=Enrollment

Is the education offered by the charter schools in Wayne County high quality?

It is difficult to make a blanket statement about the schools in the county, but Wayne Preparatory Academy has recently received an award for exceeding academic growth. “Wayne Preparatory Academy has received an Exceeded Academic Growth Award from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, after students at the school showed substantial growth during the 2016-17 school year.”

Source: http://www.newsargus.com/news/archives/2017/12/01/wayne_prep_earns_academic_growth_award_from_state/

 

If you are interested in finding the right tuition-free public charter school in North Carolina, take a look at Wayne Preparatory Academy for more information. 

The Ultimate Guide to Tuition-Free Public Charter Schools in North Carolina

Let’s face it:

It can be hard to find trusted information about schools.

One of our goals for GoToCharterSchool.com is to make the enrollment process as simple as process by providing accurate information for parent’s most frequently asked questions.

This guide will provide answers to questions like, “What is a tuition-free public school?”,  “Are charter schools required to be accredited?” and “How do I enroll my student in charter school?”

If you are looking for answers to questions like these, read on!

What is a tuition-free public charter school?

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools of choice, but each charter school is governed independently by a 501c3 non-profit organization. They are typically funded at 80% of what traditional public schools receive. Many charter schools function very efficiently on a “less is more” philosophy. Charter schools typically focus on their own mix of proven academic strategies that best reach their student base. Charter schools also have their own mix of academic philosophies of what students they can serve best via academic remediation, high intellect, Socratic, Basic School, college preparation and STEM approaches to name just a few academic approaches within existing North Carolina charter schools. Unlike traditional public schools, every charter school must demonstrate success, or it will lose its charter.

Source: https://www.wpanc.org/what-is-a-charter-school.html

What are the instructional requirements for a tuition-free public charter school?

Schools must design their programs to at least meet the student performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education and the student performance standards contained in the approved charter application. Charter schools are held to the same accountability model as traditional public schools. They have autonomy in their education programming. To learn more about a certain charter school’s programming, contact that school directly.

Source: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/information/topics?role=parents&&topic=Instructional%20Requirements

How do I enroll my child in a tuition-free public charter school?

Parents should contact each individual school to inquire if it has openings and what the application process is for that charter school. If the school has more applicants than available slots, a lottery must be conducted to fill the slots. Charter school lotteries are required to be publicly conducted and may be attended by any member of the public.

Source: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/information/topics?role=parents&&topic=Enrollment

What are the requirements for acceptance into a charter school?

Any child who qualifies to attend a NC public school under the laws of NC is also eligible to be accepted into a charter school. Parents must apply for the school they are interested in having their child/children attend by the stated application deadline. Parents should be aware that, based on the number of applicants for the available school slots, a lottery may be used by the school to determine who is accepted. In that case, acceptance is not guaranteed for all applicants.

Source: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/information/topics?role=parents&&topic=Enrollment

 

Am I permitted to enroll my child in a charter school that is not located in the local school district in which I live?

Yes. Students enrolling in a charter school are not restricted to one local school district. Parents may choose the school that they feel is most appropriate for their child. Charter schools in North Carolina must admit any child residing in NC who is qualified to attend NC schools regardless of which school district the child resides in.

Source: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/information/topics?role=parents&&topic=Enrollment

 

How much does it cost to attend a charter school?

Charter Schools are public schools and are tuition free. Funding for the schools come from federal, state, and local taxes. Charter schools shall not charge tuition or fees, except that a charter school may charge any fees that are charged by the local school administrative unit in which the school is located. A charter school, upon approval by the board of directors of the charter school, may establish fees for extracurricular activities charged by a local school administrative unit in which forty percent (40%) or more of the students enrolled in the charter school reside.

Source: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/information/topics?role=parents&&topic=Enrollment

 

If you are interested in finding the right tuition-free public charter school in North Carolina, take a look at Wayne Preparatory Academy for more information.