Charter schools are independent public schools, designed by educators, parents, community leaders, educational entrepreneurs, and others who are interested in providing a quality education to children in their community.They are providing educational choices for Arizona students and parents.

The "basic facts" about Charter Schools listed by the Arizona Charter Schools association are that:

• Charter Schools are free, publicly funded schools
• Charter Schools provide students and parents with choices
• Many Charter Schools offer specialized curriculum such as technology, the arts, agriculture, vocational education, Montessori education and college preparatory
• Parent surveys by independent researchers indicated that parents of charter school students are more satisfied with their child's school than traditional public schools
• Charter schools in Arizona receive on the average 20% less than district schools in per pupil funding Even with this discrepancy in funding, charter school students show more significant academic gains than their counterparts (Goldwater Institute)

Charter schools operate on three basic principles of accountability, choice and autonomy. They are autonomous because they are freed from the bureaucracy and regulations that divert the energies of most traditional public schools. Instead, educators focus on setting and reaching high academic standards for their students. Charter operators have the incentive to create schools that provide new and better services to students. Lastly, a more global addition to the benefits of charter schools is that they motivate all schools to work harder and be more responsive to the needs of the children.