Character education has always played a role in the purpose of schools. Most US states have a statement about character education as a part of the mission of the schools. This research studied how character education was perceived by participants in regards to school mission statements/philosophies, school atmosphere and curriculum in a Catholic school, a Quaker school and a public school. Using interviews and observations, the public school and two private schools approaches to character education were explored. Character education explicitly connected and applied from the mission statement manifested more fully in the school culture.