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"Charter schools" are schools that receive "public funding" (money from the government) but operate outside of the public school system. In other words, they receive money from the government, but they are not operated or controlled by the government. The schools operate under a "charter" or agreement between the school and a group of families or a nonprofit organization that has specific educational "objectives" (goals).

Most charter schools are formed because people believe that they can better teach a particular group of students. For example, some charter schools are designed to help students who are likely to "drop out" (stop going to school before a degree is earned) of a public high school. Charter schools are able to "experiment with" (try new and different things) different "educational models" (ways of teaching) more easily than public schools can.

Charter schools invite students to "enroll" (enter an academic program) through a "lottery process," meaning that interested students can fill out an application and they are selected "randomly" (with each person having an equal likelihood of being selected). The students applying to charter schools usually have to be "residents" (people who officially live somewhere) of the particular neighborhood that the charter school serves.

Some charter schools have reported "phenomenal" (very good and impressive) "achievements" (accomplishments), but others have been "abysmal" (very bad) "failures" (not successful). Because it is difficult to "measure" (assess and evaluate) educational "outcomes" (results), charter schools are "controversial" (with strong opinions on either side of an issue), and some people think that charter schools unfairly "drain" (take away) money from public schools.