Funded: Charters

Charter funding policies and reporting practices within each state may vary depending on the entity that authorized the charter school. Charter schools in Rhode Island may be authorized by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education.

Funding for charter schools in Rhode Island is calculated based on local school district expenditures.

Charter schools in Rhode Island will receive funding based on the per student cost in the district(s) of residence of the charter students. The state must provide at least 30%, while local school districts must provide the remainder.

Additional funding may be allocated to charter schools from the sending district if the charter school serves a higher share of free or reduced price lunch eligible students, English-language learners, and students with disabilities than the district as a whole. The state commissioner will set out rules for how this may happen.

Some charter schools in Rhode Island receive funding directly from the state, as well as from local school districts, while others receive funding through local school districts.

Charter schools operated by nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, or mayors of city or towns receive state funding from the state and local tax revenue from their students’ district(s) of residence. Charter schools operated by local school districts receive funding through that district.

Charter schools in Rhode Island will have a share of their funding withheld, with the maximum set by state law.

The state will deduct 5% from the per pupil cost used to calculate funding for charter schools. This amount is used to support the sending district for any indirect costs associated with having resident students attending charter schools.

All charter schools in Rhode Island receive a share of local tax revenue.

The state department of education calculates a per pupil local share for each district. The local share is the difference between the per pupil cost in the charter students’ district(s) of residence and the state share.

Some charter schools in Rhode Island constitute their own local education agencies, while others are a part of local education agencies.

Charter schools operated by nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, or mayors of any city or town constitute local education agencies. However, charter schools operated by local school districts are part of local education agencies.

State contacts did not confirm how charter school students in Rhode Island are reported.

State contacts did not confirm how state funding for charter schools in Rhode Island is reported.

State contacts did not confirm how charter expenditures are reported in Rhode Island.

Click here for Rhode Island's traditional district funding information.