Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce - eCapeChamber

Public charter schools

As part of the Education Reform Act of 1993, the Massachusetts legislature allowed the formation of charter schools. Charter schools are independently governed public schools that have been established by parents, educators and community members who seek innovation in education and are motivated to raise funds to initiate operation of the schools. Once a charter school is operational, it receives public funds, but must adhere to financial guidelines stipulated by the Board of Education. New approaches to education are developed and tested in the charter schools, and, if successful, are expected to be passed on to the “regular” public schools for implementation.

At present there are three charter schools on Cape Cod. The oldest is the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School in Orleans, which opened in 1995 and includes sixth through eighth grades. The Horace Mann Charter School, for fifth graders, and the Sturgis Charter School, a high school, are both located in Hyannis. All students on Cape Cod are eligible to attend the charter schools, but class sizes are limited, so lotteries are used to admit students. Once enrolled, students must strive to meet and maintain the high standards expected of charter school students in order to remain there.