Charter schools and magnet schools both offer unique benefits compared with traditional district schools, but they’re not the same thing. While magnet schools are often a part of a school district, charter schools operate outside of those traditional constraints. Choosing which school your student should attend is a complex decision.
Let’s walk through the key differences between charter and magnet schools, including the admission process, curriculum goals, funding, and more.
What Is a Charter School?
Charter schools are publicly funded schools that operate outside the traditional public school district system. Charter schools primarily exist to fill the gaps in the public education system. They use innovative methods and curriculum flexibility to best serve their students, especially in neighborhoods where the traditional public school infrastructure doesn’t serve all students well.
What Is a Magnet School?
Magnet schools are public schools of choice that are part of the local public school system. Unlike traditional public schools, however, that enroll students based on geographic zones, magnet schools attract students based on the themes or specializations they offer. These themes include but aren’t limited to:
- Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
- Fine arts
- Language immersion
- Career-based learning
Magnet School vs. Charter School: What Are the Major Differences?
Magnet schools and charter schools are both free, public schools of choice that enroll students based on an application process rather than geographic zones. Each promises unique learning environments and experiences, teaching methods, and approaches. But there are several key differences between them. Knowing those differences can help you make the decision that best meets your student’s needs.
Admissions Process
Depending on the institution’s specific focus, some magnet schools have a competitive admission process that can include tests, auditions, and applications. Other magnet schools do not have entrance requirements.
While most magnet schools serve students within a specific school district, others allow for attendance from students across multiple districts that work in partnership with one another. These schools attract students based on their unique themes or specialized curricula. When demand exceeds the number of open slots, the school may employ a lottery for admission or it may select students based on academic achievement, talent, or an interview process.
Compare that with charter schools, which typically have open, non-selective enrollment policies. Charter schools admit students on a first-come, first-served basis. When demand exceeds enrollment capacity, charter schools must use a lottery system to determine which students may attend.
Funding
Both magnet and charter schools receive public funding, but the sources and management of those funds can vary.
As part of the local public school system, magnet schools are funded similarly to other public schools within the district and are typically subject to the same regulations governing how they can use these funds. New York City’s public schools’ diverse funding includes city, state, federal stimulus, and other federal sources. The remainder comes from private or other sources.
Charter schools receive public funding, too, but the allocation of those funds differs significantly. Schools like Success Academy receive public money based on the number of students the charter school enrolls. This “per pupil funding (PPF)” relies on a formula set by state laws and is determined by approved operating expenses for the student’s district of residence, including books, materials, toiletries, food supplies, and salaries. Charter schools also have more freedom over how to allocate the funding they receive.
Location
Magnet schools are typically part of a school district and can draw students from throughout the district or even from neighboring ones. It just depends on the rules of the specific magnet program.
Charter schools, while also able to accept students outside their immediate area, are usually founded to serve specific communities and thus are often more localized. That said, schools like Success Academy — which have multiple campuses throughout the city — allow scholars and their parents to rank multiple schools to attend to maximize their chances of enrollment.
Educational Approach
The biggest difference between charter and magnet schools is their approach to education. Magnet schools usually specialize in certain areas like STEM, arts, or career-based learning. Within this focus, they are still bound by the same rules and regulations as traditional public schools. While they may offer specialized courses or curriculum, many use teaching methods that are very similar to traditional public schools.
Charter schools, by contrast, have much more freedom to innovate and design their curriculum and teaching methods. This can range from the institution of project-based learning to a focus on classical education. Most of these methods will be clearly outlined in the school’s charter, which is the document that allows them to operate.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Charter Schools
Charter schools are essential for parents and students who treasure school choice. But like any educational institution, there are both benefits and drawbacks. These can include the following:
Benefits of Charter Schools
- Curriculum flexibility: Charter schools’ most compelling benefit is their ability to shift and change curriculum based on outcomes. It can even lead to unique teaching methods and courses that may not exist in traditional schools.
- Specialized programs: Many charter schools can offer specialized programs that cater to particular interests, like STEM, arts, or language immersion.
- Higher community engagement: Charter schools emphasize strong involvement in the community because the schools usually exist to address specific needs there. Invested parents have a real opportunity to make a difference in the school’s success.
Drawbacks of Charter Schools
- Funding issues: While charter schools do receive public funding, they often operate on smaller budgets than traditional public school districts. That could lead to some having higher teacher-to-student ratios
- Lottery admission: Because charter schools often have more demand for services than spots available, families often must rely on a lottery system for admission.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Magnet Schools
Magnet schools’ specialized programs focus on attracting a diverse group of students from a school district. This may be one specific district only or several neighboring districts. The schools emerged in the late 1960s to promote voluntary racial desegregation, specifically in urban districts. While attending a magnet school has plenty of benefits, scholars (and their parents) should be aware of potential downsides, too.
Benefits of Magnet Schools
- Diverse learning environments: Magnet schools’ specialized themes may provide a diverse learning environment. With their unique curricula, magnet schools can offer students more personalized education experiences.
- Increased parent involvement: Because they are schools of choice, many magnet schools foster strong parental involvement, which can enhance the learning environment and strengthen community ties.
- Encouragement of creativity: Because of their thematic approach to education, some magnet schools encourage creativity in both teaching and learning. This can result in engaging classrooms that stimulate students’ interest and motivation.
Drawbacks of Magnet Schools
- Limited accessibility: Some magnet schools have specific admission criteria related to the school’s theme, like entrance exams or auditions. These create barriers for some students.
- Logistically inconvenient: A magnet school may be farther for a family to travel to than their local district option; considering that magnet schools do not always outperform the local district option, the time invested commuting may prove not worth it for families.
Choosing the Best Type of School for Your Child
Deciding among magnet, charter, or traditional public schools is a critical decision that can significantly influence your child’s personal and academic development. You’ll want to carefully consider various factors — including your student’s needs and preferences, the schools’ offerings, and community and extracurricular opportunities.
Each child has unique learning styles, interests, strengths, and challenges. Some students perform well in structured environments, and other students excel in self-directed spaces. Your student’s unique interests and abilities in areas like art or science may be best nurtured in a specialized program.
Different types of schools offer unique educational philosophies, coursework, and teaching methods. While traditional schools might emphasize a broad curriculum, more specialized elements of charter and magnet schools can use innovation to help your student learn.
The best type of school for your child involves carefully evaluating their individual needs, understanding specifically what each school can offer, and any extracurriculars like clubs or sports that can contribute to their environment.
Before you decide which type of school you’d like your child to attend, take the time to visit with and ask questions of teachers and families from magnet and charter schools. Seek out all the information you can find to help make an informed decision.
Learn More About Success Academy
New York City’s vibrant charter school community helps students excel, and nowhere is that more apparent than Success Academy. With several locations throughout New York City, our schools provide students with the education they need to truly thrive. With hands-on learning, community engagement, and caring and compassionate teachers, we help our students attain their maximum potential as students and members of their communities.
Apply today and secure your place in our next placement lottery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are charter schools accountable to the state and local school boards?
Charter schools are accountable to the state, but their accountability to local school boards can vary.
Charter schools enter into performance agreements with state agencies or local boards as part of their operating charters. If they do not meet performance standards outlined in the charter, there can be consequences, up to and including closure.
State charter policies typically don’t exempt schools from state student assessments or budgeting/auditing requirements, which reinforces accountability.
While charter schools do enjoy increased autonomy and flexibility, they must still answer to state and local entities.
Can charter schools offer a flexible curriculum for students?
Because charter schools aren’t subject to many of the same content and curriculum decisions as traditional local schools, they’re able to adjust their curriculum and teaching methods to meet student needs.
Do magnet schools and charter schools have equal standards of education?
Comparing charter and magnet schools’ standards can be complex because both types of schools have unique characteristics and goals.
Magnet schools typically offer specialized courses or focuses and draw students from across normal district lines. They’re typically part of the local school system and, thus, must follow the same rules and regulations.
Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of the local school district. They have more flexibility in operations and curriculum, so long as they meet the standards outlined in their charter.
Ultimately, magnet and charter schools are held to the same state and federal standards as traditional public schools. They must administer state assessments and meet the requirements set forth by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Success Academy outperforms most elementary and middle magnet schools in NYC.
How do charter schools select students compared to magnet schools?
Charter schools and magnet schools have different methods of selecting students because of their different focuses and missions.
Charter schools are public schools open to all students within a state or city, regardless of where they live. Because the number of students applying for entry typically exceeds the available space, charter schools often hold lotteries to determine admission. All applicants have an equal chance of admission, regardless of academic ability.
Magnet schools, on the other hand, focus on specific areas like STEM or the arts. Because of their specialized programs, these schools often have admissions requirements like test results, applications, academic records, letters of recommendation, or auditions. Some magnet schools can use a lottery system to determine admission, but it’s more common to use specific admission requirements.
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