Charter Schools

The State Board's rules and policies regarding charter schools and charter school authorizers can be found here. 

To apply to open a public charter school, please visit the Tennessee Department of Education's Charter Schools website. 

Charter Authorizer Evaluations

Pursuant to T.C.A. § 49-13-145, the State Board shall ensure the effective operation of all authorizers and shall evaluate authorizer quality. The State Board is charged with conducting periodic evaluations of authorizers to determine authorizer compliance. An authorizer’s failure to remedy non-compliance may result in the reduction of the authorizer fee.

Authorizer evaluations are based on the State Board's Quality Charter Authorizing Standards. Additonal information regarding the evaluation process is available here. 

Charter School Appeals

Effective January 1, 2021, the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission (Charter Commission) governs the process for a charter school to appeal the denial of a new start application, amendment petition, renewal application, or revocation by a local board of education. For information regarding these processes, visit the Charter Commission's website. A history of appeals that occurred prior to January 2021 can be found here. 

Charter Schools Authorized by the State Board

On July 1, 2021, the State Board's three authorized charter schools transferred to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. Current information about these schools can be found via the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission's website. Authorizer reports previously published by the State Board can be found here.