Charter schools are public schools that operate with an agreement (charter) with a state, school district or governmental entity to provide an enhanced education that is often unavailable within the conventional public schooling setting. These schools are open to all students, do not charge tuition, have no religious affiliation and must abide by the same state and federal testing, financial, anti-discrimination, health and safety regulations as all public schools. They typically have higher levels of parent, student and community involvement and often realize higher student achievement.