Unlike public schools, charter schools do not have to take in students from an assigned area. Nor are parents restricted to the school district their home is located in. Parents and students are free to attend any charter school, no matter their residence. If, however, the enrollment exceeds the school’s space or teacher-to-student ratio, a charter can pick which students are allowed to attend. This is often done through a random lottery, but not always.
Like public schools, charter schools are held accountable by their test scores. It is therefore advantageous for them to deny students with lower test scores and pursue students with higher scores.
To determine which students are really serious about their education, charter schools have begun requiring students to walk through a college application-like process.
Charter schools are not supposed to have selective admissions, but it is becoming more of a common practice and narrative as test scores and college admission rates are increasingly becoming the center of education.