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• Charter School FAQ
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Charter School FAQ

What is a charter school?
A charter school is an independent public school granted a charter by the local or state educational authority to focus on a particular mission. Creative Arts' charter is granted, overseen, and reviewed every five years by the San Francisco Board of Education with the mandate to provide innovative project-based and arts-integrated education to students from under-served communities. We operate within and are a part of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

How are charters different from other public schools?
Charters have autonomy in three key areas: curriculum development, financial management, and staffing. Creative Arts is governed by a Board of Directors and is answerable directly to the SF Board of Education, rather than to the Superintendent and SFUSD. While CACS is free to create its own curriculum, it is also measured by the same state standards and student testing. Our teachers are not members of a union, but they are all state certified.

How is CACS Governed?
CACS is governed by a Board of Directors, the majority of whom are parents directly elected by the membership. The Board's operations are guided by the school's bylaws.

How are charters funded?
Charter schools receive the same per pupil state funding that other public schools receive. Like our SFUSD peers, we strive to augment this revenue with fundraising and grants.

How do students and families enroll in a charter school?
Charters are open to all and offer spaces at random through an independent admissions lottery. This lottery is separate from the main SFUSD lottery, but the two run in parallel. The CACS lottery is conducted with oversight by an SFUSD representative. To learn more about enrollment, please visit How to Apply.

For more information on charter schools, please visit the Charter Schools Development Center and California Charter Schools Association.