Charter Schools

OFFICE OF CHARTER SCHOOLS

This web page has been developed to aid students, parents, teachers and the general public as they seek information on Highland Park's charter school district. Viewers will find links to the charter school's website, academic performance reports, demographic information, awards and recognition for individual schools and many other items that will enable viewers to make informed decisions about their charter school choices.
Parents and students are encouraged to contact the school directly for open house dates, K-8th grade report cards and graduate reports, teacher and student data and other school-specific information that they desire.
We have also included a reference to help explain specific Michigan Department of Education (MDE) policies and procedures related to charter schools. The Michigan Department of Education Charter School's Office web page also has a number of research documents and information on selected national organizations which monitor charter school performance.
We intend to revise our website periodically and we welcome your suggestions about how we can make it a more effective tool to exercise your public school choice options.

We partner with the Detroit Public Schools Community District to provide authorizing services to our school. For more information about their office, visit http://detroitk12.org/charters

Who They Are

Charter Schools are independently operated PUBLIC schools that are funded with federal, state and local tax dollars. These schools are established to provide families with more educational alternatives for their children. Charters are non-profit, non sectarian, organizations that are approved by the local Board of Education (the "authorizer"). Each charter has its own Board of Directors and administrative staff and operates as a separate, independent local educational agency (LEA) within the Wayne County Regional Intermediate School District. The Michigan Charter School Laws provide direction for authorizers to establish charter schools in Michigan:

Charter schools are accountable to their authorizer for making academic progress, for fulfilling the terms of both its original charter and of its Charter Agreement and for complying with a number of applicable federal statutes - such as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) , Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Internal Revenue Code for (501)(c)(3) organizations.
Each charter school should have a Parent/Community Handbook which explains the school's rules, how it complies with these statutes, a listing of dates and times for Board of Director meetings, the procedure to be followed for parental inquiries and complaints and many other details about the school's operations. Our charter schools have posted this information on their websites.