PTA's and PTO's

PTO = Parent Teacher Organization. This is a generic term for any public school parent organization that operates at the local school level, independent of the National PTA.  75% of public schools in the U.S. have a PTO instead of a PTA.

PTA = Parent Teacher Association. PTA's are public school parent organizations that belong to the National PTA and must abide by PTA regulations and pay 55% of their dues to the Utah and National PTA.  70% of Utah public schools have a PTA.

What's the difference?
The main difference between PTO's and PTA's is that PTO's are completely controlled and focused at the local level.

Since 1962, PTA membership has dropped 50% to 5.8 million members even as the number of public schools has increased over that same time.

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Public School Parent Organizations

Nationwide, most public schools (75%) have a PTO instead of a PTA.  PTO's and PTA's serve the same purpose except that PTO's are independently controlled by the parents at a particular school, while PTA's are affiliates of a national organization. 

Utah differs from the national trend in that 70% of its public schools in have a PTA instead of a PTO.

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To find out more about your school's parent organization, contact your school. 

Find your school's contact info>>

Charter School Parent Organizations

Almost every charter school has some sort of parent organization associated with it.  Most of them are PTO's which means they are independent and controlled by the parents at the school.  PTO stands for Parent Teacher Organization.  Some charter schools have parent organizations that are PTA's, which means they belong to the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). 

Learn more about PTO's and PTA's>>

Learn more about charter schools>>

To find out more about your charter school's parent organization, contact your charter school.
Find your charter school's contact info>>

 

Private School Parent Organizations

Almost every private school has some sort of parent organization.  Most of them are PTO's which means they are independent and controlled by the parents at the school.  PTO stands for Parent Teacher Organization. 

Learn more about PTO's>>

To find out more about your private school's parent organization, contact your private school.
Find your private school's contact info>>

Home School Parent Organizations

Several home school parent organizations exist in Utah to provide resources for home schooling families.  Click on a link below to learn more about each home school parent organization:

Home School Parent Organizations:

• Utah Home Education Association>>
• Utah Christian Home School Association>>
• LDS Home Education Association>>

Parents of Students with Disabilities

Utah Parent Center

The Utah Parent Center is Utah’s Parent Training and Information (PTI) Center.  The UPC’s mission is to help parents help their children with disabilities live included, productive lives as members of the community.  We provide one-on-one consultations with parents, training, workshops, accurate information, empathetic peer support, and effective advocacy – all based on the concept of PARENTS HELPING PARENTS.  Learn more>>

The Utah Parent Center also has a list of local support groups throughout the state for parents of children with autism and Asperger Syndrome.  Learn more>>

Family to Family Network

The Family to Family Network is a grassroots volunteer group composed of family members across Utah who have a relative with a disability.  Their mission is to educate, strengthen, and support families of persons with disabilities.  They provide information, referrals, family-to-family support, advocacy, and information on how to work with the Division of Services for People with Disabilities.  There are monthly meetings and events held across Utah.  Learn more>>

Other Resources

• Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities>>
• Special Education Services - Utah State Office of Education>>