This case study attempts to better understand the nuances of charter school impact by documenting the story of the Board of La Escuela Freire (the Board), a group attempting to open a democratic, social justice charter school in Santa Ana, California. In asking the question: "What has been the development process of La Escuela Freire?", this case study creates insight into internal processes and external contexts that impact grass-roots charter school development, and the larger phenomenon of charter school development more broadly. Understanding how community based organizations journey through new school development creates space to discuss how social justice leaders and organizations must toggle successfully between realities of a neoliberal educational context, and the social justice or democratically focused ideologies they espouse. Lack of understanding about charter development creates opaqueness around impacts and possibilities of charter schools as spaces of community participation and engaged public life; isolating charters from social justice agendas in research and discourages social justice educators and researchers alike, from pursuing ways of thinking about charters that could turn this growing movement towards equity and social justice. This case study calls for a more nuanced understanding of charters and charter school development that considers them potential spaces for democracy. For the Board, represents a reflexive process of meaning making, shedding light on possibilities for moving forward. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]