Guide to Charter Schools in Broward County, Florida
Are you a parent looking for a good school in Broward County, Florida?
The COVID-10 pandemic has disrupted everyone’s life. For one, parents were forced to spend more time in their children’s education as many schools implemented online learning, especially during stay-at-home orders. These changes have also made parents wonder what other school choices are available to their kids.
Choosing a school that would suit your child was never an easy undertaking. It’s a process that’s both time-consuming and nerve-wracking. More so since there are plenty of school types to choose from. Parents can opt to enroll their children in any of the following: neighborhood, alternative, magnet, private and charter schools.
If you’re exploiting the option of sending your child to a public charter school in Broward County, Florida, then this article is for you. In this post, we will provide an overview of charter schools in Florida and will answer questions such as: “What is a charter school?” “How can I apply for a charter school in Broward County, Florida?” and “What tuition-free, charter schools are available in St. Cloud, Florida?”
What is a Tuition-Free, Public Charter School in Florida?
Florida’s charter schools are similar to most charter schools in other states as they are funded by the government. Charter schools operate under their performance contract or what is typically known as a charter, which details the school’s mission, educational program, goals, students served, means of measuring success, and methods of assessment.
The Floria K-20 Education Code states that charter schools are generally excluded from having to comply with state statutes that traditional public schools abide by. Instead, charter schools must adhere to what their charter says.
The state allowed the opening of charter schools to expand its public school system’s capacity, increase learning opportunities, and improve the learning of students especially the low-performing students. Charter schools receive funding from the Florida Education Finance Program.
A private individual, business organization, group of parents or teachers, any legal entity, or a municipality may file a petition before the school district for the opening of a charter school. The school district will assess the application and eventually become the charter school’s sponsor if it approves the application.
What Tuition-Free Public Charter Schools are Available for Children in Broward County, Florida?
If you are considering a charter school in Broward Country, we encourage you to look into the International School of Broward (ISB). At ISB, we’re a small public charter school for grades 6-12. Personalized attention, dynamic course offerings and brilliant extracurriculars await. We honor our close, connected school community with cultural activities and celebratory events to showcase the dynamism of our multicultural students and faculty. ISB = so much more than just 2-way immersion. Fully accredited by Cognia/AdvancED. Tuition-free, enrolling now!
Are There Other Tuition-Free and Public Charter Schools Available in Broward County, Florida?
The state’s rules on charter schools say that “Charter schools are open to all students residing within the district.”
The same rules, however, state that charter schools may take in students who reside within a reasonable distance from the schools. Charter schools may also choose to target the following students even if they don’t live in the same district.
- students articulating from one charter school to another
- students considered at-risk of dropping out or failing
- students within specific age groups or grade levels
- students wishing to enroll in a charter school-in-the-workplace or charter school-in-a-municipality students who meet reasonable artistic, academic, or other eligibility standards set by the charter school
What is The Process for Enrolling my Child in a Tuition-Free Public Charter School?
When it comes to the admissions process, charter schools are much like other school types as parents have to apply first. Most schools will ask for some basic information about the child including name, address, birth date, ethnic background, and the last school attended, if applicable.
Charter schools in Florida can prioritize the application of the siblings of currently enrolled students, children of U.S. Armed Forces active members, children who have successfully completed from the same school its voluntary pre-kindergarten program, and students from failing schools.
In addition, Florida charter schools may give preference to applicants whose parents have business dealing with the schools. This means the children of the charter schools’ business partners, employees, and governing board members, to name a few can be prioritized.
Do Public Charter Schools in Broward County, FL offer High-Quality Education?
As a parent, your first question would be whether charter schools in Broward County offer high-quality education.
According to the Florida Department of Education, charter school students are outperforming their counterparts from traditional public schools. This claim is backed up by data.
The report, “Student Achievement in Florida’s Charter Schools: A Comparison of the Performance of Charter School Students with Traditional Public School Students” delved into more than 4.2 million test scores and compared 195 academic successes between students from charter schools and students from traditional public schools in 2017 to 2018. The study revealed the following:
- 82 percent of all comparisons revealed that students from charter schools showed higher grade level performance rates than traditional public school students
- 86 percent of all comparisons revealed that charter school students had a lower achievement gap than those from traditional public schools
- 91.7 percent of all comparisons of African-American students revealed that charter school students performed better in achievement and learning gains than students from traditional public schools
- 93 percent of students eligible for free or reduced lunch in charter schools performed better than students from district-managed schools
- 47 percent of graded charter schools got an A, significantly higher than the 28 percent of graded traditional public schools
