• About Charter Schools

    Charter schools are...
    • public schools open to all California residents.
    • accountable for clear, successful, measurable student outcomes and must comply with all state and federal mandates - including California's Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program, state API levels, and the federal "No Child Left Behind" program.
    • a choice option for parents in public education.
     
    About charter schools in California:
     
    California's charter schools were created in 1992 to provide expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system. Their purpose is to:
    • Improve student learning
    • Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods
    • Create new professional opportunities for teachers
    • Provide vigorous competition within the public school system to stimulate continual improvements in all public schools
    California has the highest number of charter schools and serves the most charter school students in the country. There are over 1,130
    charter schools serving over 500,000 charter school students in California. For more info: California Charter Schools Association website.

    As a small, independent public school, Bullis Charter School (BCS), provides a choice in public education to families in the Los Altos School District (LASD). BCS, like all charters, provide an important element of competition in the system, that helps drive innovation throughout the district. Currently, over 10% of LASD students attend BCS making it the school of choice for the Los Altos and Los Altos Hills communities.