FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions – Creative Arts Charter

About Charter Schools

What is a charter School?

A charter school is an independent public school granted a charter by the local or state educational authority to focus on a particular mission. Creative Arts’ charter is granted, overseen, and reviewed every five years by the San Francisco Board of Education with the mandate to provide innovative project-based and arts-integrated education to students from under-served communities. We operate within and are a part of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

How are charters different from other public schools?

Charters have autonomy in three key areas: curriculum development, financial management, and staffing. Creative Arts is governed by a Board of Directors and is answerable directly to the SF Board of Education, rather than to the Superintendent and SFUSD. While CACS is free to create its own curriculum, it is also measured by the same state standards and student testing. Our teachers are members of a union, and they are all state certified.

How are charters funded?

Like San Francisco Unified School District, charter schools receive per pupil funding. Charter school funding, however, lags behind that for traditional public schools. A 2012 report from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) summarized the funding inequities, noting a difference of at least 7%, or $395 per student, for categorical funding between California charter schools and traditional public schools. This does not include facility funding, federal funding, or local revenues, which often widen the funding gap.

Because of this situation, along with five years of budget cuts from the state, the cost of our program far exceeds funding from the state. We rely on extended community financial support to make up the difference.

How do students and families enroll in a charter school?

Charters are open to all and offer spaces at random through an independent admissions lottery. This lottery is separate from the main SFUSD lottery, but the two run in parallel. The CACS lottery is conducted with oversight by an SFUSD representative. To learn more about enrollment, please visit How to Apply.

For more information on charter schools, please visit the Charter Schools Development Center and California Charter Schools Association.

About Enrollment

My child has an Individual Education Plans (IEP), can I still apply to CACS?

How do I apply?

What is the time line for the application process?

Do I add Creative Arts to SFUSD’s enrollment application?

No. Creative Arts’ enrollment process is separate from the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) process. If you are applying to SFUSD, do not list CACS as one of your choices on SFUSD’s enrollment form.

If you are chosen in the lottery, you will receive a registration form from Creative Arts, which is also submitted to the SFUSD Educational Placement Center for inclusion in the SFUSD student database. Creative Arts students are part of SFUSD.

Does CACS accept students who do not live in San Francisco?

How does CACS select its students?

Are there preferences given to any students in the lottery process?

How do students transfer to CACS?

If I miss the application deadline, can I still apply?

About CACS

How is CACS Governed?

How do I submit a Public Records Request?

CPRA Request Form

CPRA-request-form