What to know about charter schools after the latest Supreme Court ruling
Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools are run independently, though they're still funded by taxpayer dollars.
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court blocked the creation of the nation's first religious charter school on May 22, reigniting debates about the separation of church and state in the United States.
The justices' split 4-4 decision meant a lower court ruling would stand. It also revived questions among parents about whether taxpayer money should be used to support nontraditional schools. Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not participate in the decision.
The vast majority of American students attend traditional public K-12 schools. But after the COVID-19 pandemic spurred frustration with school closures, many states have adopted measures supporting alternatives. From 2010 to 2021, public charter school enrollment more than doubled, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Since the start of his second term, President Donald Trump has made expanding school choice a top priority. Although he has pushed for major cuts to other educational programs, his proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2026 includes $60 million in grants to expand charter schools across the United States.
Here's what to know about charter schools and how they differ from other types of schools.
What are public charter schools?
The National Center for Education Statistics defines a public charter school as a type of "publicly funded school that is typically governed by a group or organization under a legislative contract – a charter – with the state, the district, or another entity."
Charter schools are privately managed, usually by nonprofits but sometimes by for-profit groups. They are tuition-free.
First established in the 1990s in Minnesota, charter schools are mostly exempt from the rules and regulations that school boards and state legislatures mandate traditional public schools follow. They were largely created to avoid red tape and provide educational alternatives to families.
Supporters of charter schools say they give parents more choice and promote competition that ultimately improves all schools in a region. Opponents say they divert crucial money from traditional public schools while skirting accountability rules.
Are private schools different from charter schools?
Public schools aren't the same thing as charter schools. But all charter schools are publicly funded.
Private schools, on the other hand, fall into an entirely separate category. Unlike charter schools and traditional public schools, they require tuition from most students and don't receive most of their funding from taxpayers.
Can charter schools promote religion?
Though private schools are sometimes headed by religious orders, charter schools have always been secular. That changed when Oklahoma's Virtual Charter School Board in 2023 approved an application from the Catholic Church to create a religious charter school.
The decision prompted a lawsuit from opponents who said the Constitution prohibits public dollars from being used to support religious education.
The case evenly divided the Supreme Court's justices, who issued a one-sentence decision on Thursday upholding a lower court's ruling to block the Catholic Church's request.
Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for Paste BN. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.