Most of the nearly 1,100 public schools in Arkansas are operated by one of the state’s 259 school districts. Charter schools account for 85 of the state’s public schools, which operate with more autonomy than district schools. Charter schools, both open-enrollment and district conversion, operate under a contract with the state’s charter authorizer. Open-enrollment public charter schools are not affiliated with a school district, and may enroll students from anywhere in the state.

Schools within a school district, which have received a district conversion charter from the state’s charter authorizer, may have more autonomy than other district schools but are still part of their local district. Currently, any Arkansas school district may apply to the state’s charter authorizer to receive a charter to operate a district conversion charter school. All state-chartered schools in Arkansas are authorized by the state’s public education authority and serve as their own Local Education Agency (LEA).