In 1995, the government of Alberta showed imagination and vision in passing Canada's first charter law. It was another Alberta Advantage, giving parents the chance to roll up their sleeves and create a new kind of public school that would improve student learning. A charter school is an autonomous public school designed to make innovations in the organization and delivery of education and to make improvements in student learning. Charter schools are public schools operating on a performance contract negotiated with their school board or the government.
Attendance is by choice.
Charter schools may not charge tuition, teach religion, or discriminate in admissions. They are formed around a specific mission or philosophy and enjoy considerable autonomy to implement that program. Governed by their own charter board, these schools must demonstrate successful student learning and fiscal responsibility in order to have their charter renewed. Alberta has 11 public charter schools, ranging in size from 75 to 600 students. Their freedom from district bureaucracy gives them added flexibility to allocate their budgets to meet learning needs, reduce class sizes, use differentiated staffing, and hire and retrain staff based on performance rather than seniority.