Charter schools

Families want public schools that work for their children.

Every student in Washington state deserves a public education that puts them on a path to a successful future, but one size does not fit all. Washington’s charter schools provide another public school option for families and students.

We provide funding to help ensure Washington state’s public charter schools continue to deliver proven results, are held to high standards, and are built around the strengths and needs of our students and communities.

Washington’s charter schools are free, open to all, deliver proven results, and are an important part of a public school system that prepares all students for their next step after high school graduation.
For the second year in a row, Black, Latino, and students from low-income backgrounds enrolled in charter schools outperformed their traditional public school peers in all tested subjects (ELA, Math, and Science).
There are currently 18 public charter schools in Washington state serving approximately 5,000 students.
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Meet some of our partners

Get to know a few local organizations that are working to ensure Washington’s charter schools deliver promising results for students.

Technical assistance for school leaders

We provide funding to the Washington State Charter Schools Association (WA Charters), the statewide organization that provides technical assistance to school leaders who oversee the day-to-day operations of the public charter schools currently open and serving students. 
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Supporting students with disabilities

We support the True Measure Collaborative, which provides technical training and professional development to ensure public charter schools in Washington state are meeting the needs of students with disabilities.
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Investing in charter school sustainability

WA Charters works to ensure that public charter schools in Washington state have access to long-term equitable funding so they can continue to meet their students’ needs. We also support several student-led advocacy organizations that feature charter school students and their peers in traditional district schools.
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Black and Latino students, and students from low-income backgrounds, enrolled in charter schools outperformed their traditional district public school peers in all tested subjects during the last two school years.

Early academic results at charter schools are promising

While public charter schools are fairly new in Washington state, their students are demonstrating positive early results.

Blogs and Resources

Elevating student voices is part of our Washington State strategy

Our Washington State strategy and approach is grounded in listening, and a key group of people that we’re listening to are students across Washington.
People near bus

August 2021 newsletter Heading back to school

Washington state school district administrators, teachers and families are preparing for the return to classrooms this August and September with unique challenges ahead of them.

April 2021 newsletter Back to school in person

Here in Washington, spring is in full bloom, more and more people are getting vaccinated each day, and the pandemic continues to be a challenging backdrop in education and our lives.

More about what we do

Washington State Education

Nearly 90% of Washington’s high schoolers say they want to continue their education after graduation, but only 50% enroll in postsecondary programs today. We’re working with partners to change that.

Community Engagement

In the greater Seattle region, we provide flexible funding to strengthen local nonprofits and help them address emerging community needs—like housing security and homelessness.

Past projects

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Explore some of our previous grant programs.