Although Arizona has a greater number of charter schools, California has the largest charter school enrollment with almost 45,000 students. There is enormous variety among California's charter schools. Programs include home-based education, independent learning, programs for the gifted, schools for students expelled from traditional public schools, international studies, multilingual schools, programs for youth released from detention centers, a museum school, and others. The legislation allows the establishment of up to 100 charter schools within the state, with no more than 10 charter schools allowed per school district. Each charter is granted for five years, and subsequent renewals are awarded at five-year intervals.
Charter schools are public schools created and run by teachers and staff.
They are largely free from state and district oversight. The application process for a charter requires the support of 10 percent of the teachers in the school district or 50 percent of the teachers within the individual school. The law does not require that charter schools hire licensed teachers. Funding for each attending student in the charter school is 100 percent of the average per-pupil spending in the particular school district. Private schools are not allowed to apply for charter status.