6. How Are Charter Schools Held Accountable?

October 30, 2025

Top Takeaways (2023–24)

85% of charter schools are overseen by democratic institutions — local school boards, state agencies, or independent state commissions — ensuring public accountability.

Universities drive innovation: Though colleges and universities authorize only about 10% of charter schools, their independence and research capacity make them powerful labs of innovation, spreading best practices and protecting schools from shifting political winds.

Local school districts authorize nearly half of all charter schools, showing charters are deeply embedded in America’s traditional public education system.
Accountability is real: charters must meet clear benchmarks to stay open, and authorizers have the power to close schools that don’t deliver.
State-level authorizers oversee more than 40% of charter students, holding schools to rigorous statewide standards.

What Is an Authorizer?

Every charter school must have an authorizer — the entity empowered by state law to decide whether a school can open, how it must perform, and whether it should be renewed or closed. Unlike traditional schools, charters operate on a contract (a “charter”) that must be earned, renewed, and upheld.

Types of Authorizers

LEAs (Local Education Agencies / School Districts):
The most common authorizer type, LEAs oversee nearly 45% of all charter schools and enroll almost half of charter students. This means most charter schools are directly accountable to locally elected school boards.
SEAs (State Education Agencies):
There are about 20 state departments of education that serve as charter authorizers nationwide. Together they enroll 24% of charter students and oversee 22% of schools, often serving as the sole authorizer in their state.
ICBs (Independent Charter Boards):
State-level commissions created by governors or legislatures. These boards oversee about 17% of charter schools and serve as independent watchdogs, ensuring consistent statewide standards.
NEGs (Noneducational Government Entities):
In a few states, municipalities (like mayor’s offices) play a direct role in authorizing charter schools. Only two currently exist — in Indiana and Wyoming.
HEIs (Higher Education Institutions):
Some states allow public colleges and universities to authorize charters. These represent about 10% of the sector, with the most prominent example being New York’s SUNY Charter Schools Institute.
NPOs (Nonprofit Organizations):
Only allowed in Ohio and Minnesota, nonprofits authorize a very small share of schools.

Why It Matters

The bottom line: charter schools are not unregulated experiments — they are public schools overseen by public institutions. The fact that 85% are authorized by democratic entities underscores that charter schools are accountable to the same voters, governors, and legislatures that oversee traditional public schools. This model strikes the right balance: freedom for families to choose the best school, and accountability to the public to ensure schools deliver results.

Expanding Authorizing Options

Strong charter laws give families more than one pathway to launch and sustain a great school. The National Alliance’s model law recommends that states allow multiple authorizers — not just the local school district — so that promising schools aren’t blocked by a single gatekeeper. Yet today, 13 states still limit charters to just one authorizer, and in five of those states, only local districts can grant approval. This creates barriers for new schools and restricts family choice. By contrast, states that empower state agencies, independent commissions, or municipalities as additional authorizers create a healthier, more dynamic environment for high-quality schools to grow.

For those looking at the details, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers provides a helpful breakdown of which authorizer types operate in each state.

Who Holds Charters Accountable?

The story is clear: charter schools are overwhelmingly overseen by trusted, democratic institutions.

Local school districts are the backbone of charter oversight. Nearly 9 out of 10 authorizers across the country are districts, enrolling 46% of charter students and overseeing 45% of all schools. That means most charters are directly accountable to locally elected school boards.

State education agencies may be few in number — only 20 nationwide — but they punch far above their weight. These agencies enroll nearly one in four charter students and oversee 22% of charter schools, holding them to rigorous statewide standards.

Independent charter boards, created by governors or legislatures, play a powerful role, authorizing about 17% of charter schools and students. In many states, these commissions are the primary driver of sector quality and consistency.

Special cases: A handful of nonprofits (in Ohio and Minnesota) and two mayors’ offices (in Indiana and Wyoming) also serve as authorizers, but they are rare exceptions in a landscape dominated by public institutions.

Together, these numbers tell a powerful story: the vast majority of charters are held accountable by the same democratic structures that oversee all of public education. This ensures that while charter schools innovate, they remain firmly rooted in public trust and transparency.

Table 6.1: Authorizer Type by Count of Authorizers, Enrollment Share, and School and Campus Share, 2023-24

Los Angeles Leads the Way

The single largest district authorizer in the nation is the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). With 144,736 charter students, LAUSD alone is responsible for educating more than 4% of all charter students in the country.

This scale shows the power of charter schools in meeting family demand in America’s largest cities. Unsurprisingly, the LEA authorizers with the biggest charter enrollments are found in dense urban areas and populous counties, where families are eager for more public school options and charters have become a vital part of the educational landscape.

Table 6.2: Top 10 LEA Authorizers by Total Enrollment

Texas Sets the Pace for State Authorizers

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the nation’s largest state education agency authorizer — and a giant in the charter landscape overall. TEA authorizes nearly 90% of all charter schools in Texas, a state that already ranks among the biggest charter sectors nationwide. In fact, TEA alone is responsible for about 10% of all charter students in the United States.

Other state departments of education also play an outsized role. The North Carolina, New Jersey, and Massachusetts Departments of Education each serve as the sole authorizer in their states, meaning they oversee every charter school and set the standards for thousands of students. Together, these agencies demonstrate how state authorizers can provide strong, centralized accountability while supporting large charter student populations.

Table 6.3: Top 10 SEA Authorizers by Total Enrollment

Independent Charter Boards: Statewide Leaders

The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (ASBCS) stands out as the most prominent ICB in the nation. With 202,374 students, ASBCS alone enrolls about 6% of all charter students nationwide — and nearly 90% of charter students in Arizona. That makes it one of the most influential authorizers in the entire country.

Other ICBs also serve as the backbone of charter oversight in their states. The Utah State Charter Board, Nevada State Public Charter Authority, and the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board each authorize 80–100% of the charter schools in their jurisdictions. In practice, many ICBs function much like state education agencies: broad, statewide authorizers that set high standards and ensure quality across an entire state or city.

Table 6.4: Top 10 ICB Authorizers by Total Enrollment

Higher Education Institutions: Innovation Engines in Authorizing

While most charter schools are overseen by democratically accountable public bodies, a small but important share are authorized by HEIs. These authorizers are unique because, although many are public universities, they operate outside the direct control of shifting political winds. Instead, their oversight role is grounded in research, innovation, and the pursuit of academic excellence.

HEI authorizers bring distinctive strengths to the charter movement:

Innovation and Research Capacity: Universities draw on world-class faculty and students to analyze charter school data, identify what works, and propose systemic improvements to public education as a whole.

Best Practice Dissemination: By studying charter performance, HEIs can test new models and spread effective practices more broadly across the sector.

Stability Beyond Politics: Their independence helps insulate schools from political swings, ensuring that decisions are informed by evidence and long-term outcomes, not short-term agendas.

Among HEI authorizers, the SUNY Charter Schools Institute in New York is by far the largest. With 115,970 students, SUNY accounts for about 3% of all charter students nationwide and nearly two-thirds of New York’s charter enrollment. Beyond SUNY, Michigan stands out, with five of the top 10 HEI authorizers, reflecting that state’s longstanding commitment to university-based authorizing.

Although HEIs account for only about 10% of charter schools and students, their role is outsized: they serve as laboratories of innovation, ensuring the charter sector doesn’t just grow in size, but also in knowledge, quality, and continuous improvement.