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California State Profile
Last updated: 01-08-2008  (Send USCS staff a comment about this page.)

List of Charter Schools
For a list of schools, use the following link(s):
California Department of Education
Charter Schools Development Center

Overview
Year Law Passed # of Charter Schools # of Students Enrolled
1992 618 221,177

Statewide Support Organizations
California Charter Schools Association
 California Department of Education
 Charter Schools Development Center (CA)
News
Oscar De La Hoya Donates $3.5 Million to L.A. Public Charter Schools 6/20/08
Public Charter School Network's Power Upheld by California Judge 6/12/08
L.A. Public Charter Schools Outperform Traditional District Schools 6/11/08
LAUSD Violating Public Charter School Law, Triggering Protests by Thousands of Parents and Teachers 6/8/08
California Governor Announces $463 Million in Bond Funds for Public Charter School Construction 5/31/08

view all California news »



Resources
14th Annual California Charter Schools Conference, March 27-30 in San Diego, CA
14th Annual California Charter Schools Conference, March 27-30 in San Diego, CA
Assessing California's Charter Schools
California Charter Schools Serving Low SES Students: An Analysis of the Academic Performance Index
California's Charter Schools: Measuring Their Performance



Legislative Summary
Law:   California Charter Schools Laws, Regulations, and Policies

Amendment(s):   Recent amendments to the charter school law, which was put into effect January, 2003, include provisions such as new geographic restrictions for charter schools, new authority for county offices of education, as well as changes to funding and facilities. The CSU Institute for Education Reform has posted a California's Revised Charter School Laws page, which contains general documentation of the recent legislative changes in California's charter school law, as well as a Charter School News page, which contains updates on CA charter school issues by IER staff.

Authorizers:   Local school board or county board of education. The state board of education may approve charter schools operating in multiple sites throughout the state. If all sites are within a given county, the petition for the charter must go to the county board.

Length of charter:   up to 5 years

Caps on number of schools:   250 schools in 1998-99, with 100 additional charters allowed per year.

Funding:   General purpose and categorical funding for charter schools is comparable with other public schools, and charter schools may receive funds directly from the state.