Question: PTO, PTA, or Booster Club-What's the difference?

We have been dubbed by our school as a PTO, but we are trying to take our organization private. My question is, what is the main difference in a PTA, PTO, and Booster Club?

Asked by featheryoung77

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Rose H writes:
Let's start with the booster club: They are typically affiliated with a specific sports team or club. Very common at high schools, for example. There are a number of differences between PTOs and PTAs. You can think of PTOs as a more general term that includes a variety of parent organizations. These groups are independent. PTAs, on the other hand, are affiliated with the official PTA national organization and belong to that group by becoming dues-paying members. We have a great article that goes over the differences between PTOs and PTAs in more depth that will be helpful.