What is a Charter School?  

A Charter School is a tuition-free public school that works independently of the school district. Charter Schools are responsible for meeting State Standards and administering all State assessments, but they have greater autonomy and choice in how they design their programs, who they hire, and how their budget works. This allows a Charter School to focus on a particular vision and to be more responsive to the needs of its individual students.

The State of California allows for two different kinds of Charter Schools. Both are governed by independent Boards of Trustees, which are made up of local community leaders, parents, and educators. Independent Charter Schools are authorized directly by the State and accountable to the State Board of Education; dependent Charter Schools are authorized by and accountable to the local Board of Education. Leadership is a dependent Charter School, and as such is an active part of the SFUSD community.

In order to have permission to operate, Charter Schools must submit extensive design plans to their overseeing Board of Education every five years. These design plans, called a Charter, explain the philosophy and core beliefs, curricula and programs, and operations and budget of the Charter School. As a dependent Charter School, Leadership’s Charter was reviewed and recommended by staff of the San Francisco Unified School District staff and approved by the SFUSD Board of Education.

For Leadership’s most recent Charter, approved in 2007 and good through 2012,click here.