In Hawaiʻi, charter schools are public schools, funded on a "per-pupil" allocation separate from the Hawai‘i Department of Education. They are state-legislated, legally independent, innovative, outcome-based public schools operating under contract with the State Public Charter School Commission (SPCSC).

Contact the school that you are interested in having your child attend and request information and an application. Charter schools have an enrollment period when parents can submit an application. If the school receives more applications than seats available, they will hold a lottery. Conversion charter schools, which are former DOE district schools, must accept all students who live in its DOE geographic district. This applies to the grades the school served while it was a district school.

No. Families should check with the individual charter school for information about enrollment procedures, application deadlines and any required documentation.

No. Charter schools are public schools, and state law explicitly prohibits them from charging tuition.

Please click on Transcript Request for more information.

Each Hawaiʻi public charter school is governed by its respective governing board, the independent board that is party to a charter performance contract with the State Public Charter School Commission. The governing board is responsible for the financial, organizational, and academic viability of the charter school and implementation of the charter. The SPCSC, as a charter authorizer, has oversight authority over each governing board. The SPCSC is accountable to the Board of Education.

The Hawaiʻi State Public Charter School Commission(SPCSC) is the only charter school authorizer in the State of Hawaiʻi. Each charter school is directly overseen by its own governing board, which has a performance contract with the SPCSC. The performance contract describes the responsibilities and requirements, including state and federal laws, of governing boards. The SPCSC holds governing boards accountable to its performance contract. As a charter authorizer, the SPCSC has oversight authority over each governing board and is accountable to the Board of Education.

If you are interested in starting a charter school, you must apply to the Hawai‘i State Public Charter School Commission. For more information, please click here.

First, contact the principal of the school and, if possible, request a meeting to discuss your concern. If the issue remains unresolved and you would like to pursue it further, contact the school’s governing board. Each school should provide its governing board’s contact information on its website.

For more information about the complaints process, click here.

Each charter school handles its own hiring. It is best to contact the school(s) in which you are interested in working directly. Also, many schools post their job openings in the employment opportunities section of our website.