KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Thursday, Knoxville Preparatory School welcomed its first class of 105 sixth-grade boys — marking the school's first official academic year.
According to the school's website, it is an all-boys public charter school that plans to add an additional class each academic year until it reaches 12th grade, eventually hosting 500 students.
Knox County Schools approved the school's application after considering it twice. Board members first failed to agree on whether to allow it to operate in Knox County amid concerns about federal Title IX non-discrimination guidelines and whether the community would benefit from a charter school.
The group that brought the school to Knoxville also runs a similar school in Chattanooga.
The Knox County Board of Education approved the school by a narrow vote back in April with critics of charter schools saying they pull money away from public schools that already need more money. The charter agreement for Knoxville Preparatory School passed with five "yes" votes, two passes, and a "no" vote.
Charter schools operate differently from most traditional public schools. Effectively, the Board of Education grants them permission to operate in the school district. They 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.