BISMARCK — New rules governing public, tax-supported charter schools in North Dakota will take effect on April 1.

State School Superintendent Levi Bachmeier announced the effective date for the regulations on March 20, which were adopted after the North Dakota Legislature authorized public charter schools in April 2025. Bachmeier said the regulations ensure academic and budget accountability for charters and specify any special education students in charter schools must be provided services.

The new state law requires charter school developers to negotiate performance agreements with the state superintendent of public instruction, which will set out academic performance expectations and regulate how schools are operated and governed.

The application process must include a public meeting with any charter school applicant to allow state officials and the public to ask questions about it. Given these logistical demands, Bachmeier indicated North Dakota’s first charter schools are not expected to open until the fall of 2027.

“North Dakota families are asking for more choices in the education of their children,” Bachmeier said. “This new law and rules offer the opportunity for more choices, while ensuring that the foundational rules that govern our public schools, from financial transparency to instructional access for students with disabilities, are fairly and equally applied to public charters.”

North Dakota is the 47th state to authorize charter schools, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.