Charter schools are public schools and are free to attend. They are responsive to student needs and held accountable for student achievement and financial responsibility.
Charter schools can be sponsored by local school districts, Career Technology Centers, universities, federally-recognized Indian tribes, and the Oklahoma State Department of Education. The Academy of Seminole is sponsored by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
The basic concept of a charter school is to exercise increased autonomy in return for accountability. Charter schools are responsible for several groups for both academic results and fiscal practices: the sponsor that grants them, the parents who choose them and the public that funds them.
Charter schools are given the freedom to innovate, choose their own curriculum and create their own discipline systems.