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Arkansas State Profile
Last updated: 01-16-2009  (Send USCS staff a comment about this page.)

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

Overview
Year Law Passed # of Charter Schools # of Students Enrolled
1995 28 4,300

Statewide Support Organizations
Arkansas Charter School Resource Center
Arkansas Department of Education

News
Six New Public Charter Schools Up for Consideration in Arkansas 9/15/08
Eleven Public Charters Vie for Seven Approval Slots in Arkansas 8/11/08
New Resource Center Planned in Arkansas to Assist Rural Public Charter Schools and Districts 5/27/08
Seventeen More Public Charter Schools in California Receive Certification for High Standards 4/28/08
Researcher Finds Charter Schools Accelerate Student Performance & Strengthen Traditional Public Schools 2/24/08

view all Arkansas news »





Legislative Summary
Law:   Arkansas Charter School Law

Amendment(s):   not available

Authorizers:   Both the local school board and the state board of education must approve application. No school district with an enrollment of less than 500 is eligible to sponsor open enrollment charter schools. The State Board of Education is authorized to renew the open-enrollment public charter on a one-year or multi-year basis of no longer than 5 years.

Length of charter:   5 years

Caps on number of schools:   Yes. The state board of education may grant no more than 12 charters for open enrollment charter schools , and no more than 3 open enrollment charters may be granted in any single congressional district.

Funding:   For conversion charter schools, school district. For open enrollment charter schools, state. Each school receives funds equal to the minimum state revenue per average daily membership. They may apply for one-time implementation grants from the federal government and also grants from private foundations.