Charter schools are public schools. They operate in much the same way as traditional public schools. They are free, open to all, and operate under the direction of a publically-appointed board of directors. Charter schools are constituent districts of Michigan’s intermediate school districts (ISDs) and operate under the leadership of the State Board of Education. They must comply with essentially the same statutory and regulatory requirements as other k-12 public schools, including No Child Left Behind and Education Yes! accountability programs and special education laws. While each charter school is unique based on location, teaching staff, student population, educational program and curricula, each is legally organized as a Michigan, not-for-profit, public school academy corporation, governed by a board of directors.
