Sierra Oaks School

Frequently Asked Questions About Charter Schools

1. Do charter schools charge a fee?
2. Do charter schools hand-pick students?
3. Are teachers at charter schools qualified to teach?
4. Are charter schools held accountable?
5. Are charter schools a relatively new idea?

Do charter schools charge a fee?

Charter schools are public schools and no fee is required.

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Do charter schools hand-pick students?

Students are chosen by a lottery system unless a sibling is 
already attending the school.

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Are teachers at charter schools qualified to teach?

Teachers in charter schools do not need to be certified; however, 
they must be highly qualified in the subject area that they 
teach.  Teachers must meet the requirements of the Arizona Rubric 
for being Highly Qualified under No Child Left Behind.

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Are charter schools held accountable?

The curriculum at a charter school must be aligned to the Arizona 
State Standards.  Charter schools participate in AIMS testing.  
Each charter school also completes annual report cards for the 
Department of Education and for its sponsoring board.

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Are charter schools a relatively new idea?

In Arizona, charter schools were created through legislation in 
1994.  Located in fourteen of the fifteen counties, one in every 
four Arizona public schools is a charter school.


*Source:  Arizona Charter Schools Association

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