CHARTER SCHOOL FUNDING

The Basics, per the CDE Website

• Colorado funds per student, versus per program or site. This is the PPR.

• Charter schools receive 100% of the Per Pupil Revenues (PPR) or money designated by the state Legislature each year for operating expenses, capital reserve and risk insurance.

• The charter school authorizer may retain up to 5% of documented central administrative costs associated with oversight of the charter school. A charter school may choose to purchase services from their authorizer or a third party.

• Charter schools may also receive funding awards from CDE. Learn more about the awards including lists of current and prior awards granted to schools here: https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdechart/fundingawards

NOTE: This page has not yet been updated with 2025 legislative changes.

Real estate and facilities are a key investment and asset for any educational institution. Here in the US, especially in Colorado, developers play a major role in government, community, and financial investing.

Read “Real Estate and Charters,” published in 2023 by the nonprofit, In The Public Interest.

Senator Michael Bennet

• Senator Bennet is well-known for his focus on education and is considered a “reformer.” As the former Superintendent of Denver Public Schools, he has been widely revered and criticized for his support of charter schools. See his education policy page here.

• In May of 2025, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) reintroduced a 2023 bill that will make it easier for charter schools to access public property and provide federal grants to states for charter school facilities. See his press release on the Equitable Access to School Facilities Act here..

• In 2023 when it was first introduced, private Colorado citizens expressed serious, well-reasoned concerns about the bill, especially in Districts where activists had taken over school boards with the help of special interest and political groups.Pro-CO volunteered to coordinate and lead a discussion among Coloradans and a member of Senator Michael Bennet’s education policy team, courtesy of the Indivisible Colorado Action Network. Download a PDF with a summary of the bill and the citizens’ questions.

Charter Schools enter into contracts with authorizers based on state and local laws and policies. The Colorado Department of Education has an FAQ page that can help you understand some of the key components of Colorado’s generous approach towards charters and school choice. Consult this page to learn more.

The Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers provides training and resources for authorizers, with many of the resources available publicly on their website.

Information about local authorization by a local school district would be found on individual school district websites. The Colorado Charter School Institute is the state charter authorizer -an “alternative” to school district authorization. Learn more on their website.

In 2024 and 2025, Pro-Colorado Education Project and its network supported community members learning about understanding the dynamics of charter school authorizing and the Liberty Initiative, a classical charter movement in Colorado run by a charter school proponent at Ready Colorado. In response to questions that came up during the application process for a new charter in Montrose County, we published a paper to explain some basics about management organizations. Columnist, Logan Davis, referred to the paper in his continuing coverage of public education in Cashing in on the Classroom.

The two applications of Montrose Classical Academy generated interest from around the state. We encourage readers to review the thorough, transparent process the Montrose County School District implemented to review the applications submitted by Montrose Classical Academy, with the support of the Liberty Initiative and Minga Education Group. On June 24, the second application was denied.