Schools

Public schools are paid for by, well, the public, through local and state taxes. By law, public schools must educate all children, including students with special needs. To enroll in a public school you simply register your child by filling out the necessary paperwork. Most public schools offer a general program, which usually includes math, English, reading, writing, science, history and physical education. Most good public schools offer programs in music and art. The curriculum should be based on state standards and will be measured through standardized tests. Public Schools are funded from tuition, fundraising, and private grants. If you send your child to a private school, you can expect to pay tuition ranging anywhere from $2,000 to over $10,000 per year.

Some schools and outside groups offer scholarships to families with economic challenges. Private schools are selective, meaning they don’t have to accept your child. In many private schools admission is very competitive. Public-school education is the most common form of education. The United States and is provided mainly by local governments, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Curricula, funding, teaching, and other policies are set through locally elected school boards by jurisdiction over school districts.

The school districts are special-purpose districts authorized by provisions of state law Charter schools are public schools that operate independently from a district. They often offer a more specialized or experimental program. They are still free and the school may not turn away applicants. If the school receives more applicants than it has room for, most use a system like a lottery to decide whom to admit, and whom to put on a waiting list. Charter schools are elementary or secondary schools in the United States that receive public money but have been freed from some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter.

While charter schools provide an alternative to other public schools, they are part of the public education system and are not allowed to charge tuition. Where space at a charter school is limited, admission is frequently allocated by lottery based admissions. Some charter schools provide a curriculum that specializes in a certain field-- e.g. arts, mathematics, etc. Others simply seek to provide a better and more efficient general education than nearby public schools.