KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knox County Schools voted to approve the application on April 27 for the district's first charter high school. They approved Knoxville Preparatory School's application, an all-boys school that will accept boys from sixth grade through 12th grade.
After several discussions and meetings about the proposed school, a viewer asked WBIR how charter schools compared to magnet schools and private schools.
Charter schools are not run by publicly-elected leaders in the same way traditional schools are. They can set their own curriculums, disciplinary policies, hours and more. While they may not follow guidelines and policies set by the district they operate in, they receive public money. Charter schools also often have private donors backing them.
Their test scores and performance are ultimately evaluated by the Department of Education. There are usually no prerequisites to attend the school, and Knoxville Preparatory School's admissions go through a lottery process that anyone can apply to.
Charter schools receive public funding based on the number of students they have and their students' unique needs, through the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement funding formula. Each district gets $6,800 of base funding, supplemented based on different categories listed below.
- Economically disadvantaged students
- Students living in areas of concentrated poverty
- Students in sparsely populated communities
- Students in a small school district
- Students with unique learning needs
Magnet schools are public schools that specialize in certain kinds of instruction and programs that may not be available elsewhere. Usually, magnet schools offer specialized programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They can also offer arts programs, or offer programs for specific career paths.
Magnet schools both receive public funding and answer to their local board of education, unlike charter schools and private schools.
Private schools are primarily funded through school tuition paid by families and private donations. They are not funded with public dollars, unlike charter and magnet schools which do receive public funding. They also usually do not answer to public leaders and student performance is not measured in the same way as public schools.