Charter school 在美国是州政府在公共教育体系之外特许
的非营利性中小学水平的教育机构。
比如某社会服务机构为残疾人的教育特别申请的一个培训
学校，学生可无需通过政府教育部门规定的考试进入学校学习。
这类教学大纲接受政府认证和监督，但其它要求比正式批准的
学校要低一些。



Charter school 可译成“特许学校”。

A charter school is a school which receives public funding 
but operates independently. Charter schools are an example 
of alternative education.

In California, local school districts are the most frequent 
granters of school charters. If a local school district denies
 a charter application, or if the proposed charter school 
provides services not provided by the local school districts, 
a county board consisting of superintendents from state 
schools or the state board of education can grant a charter. 
The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools grants charters 
in Arizona. Local school districts and the state board of 
education can also grant charters. In contrast, the creation 
of charter schools in Michigan (known there as "Public 
School Academies") can be authorized only by local school 
boards or by the governing school boards of state colleges 
and universities.