(CHARLES SCHWAB ASSET MANAGMENT LOGO)
Semiannual Report  |  September 30, 2022
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
                  Ticker Symbol  SAEF
Adviser
Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset ManagementTM
Subadviser
Ariel Investments, LLC
THIS FUND IS DIFFERENT FROM TRADITIONAL ETFs
Traditional ETFs tell the public what assets they hold each day. This fund will not. This may create additional risks for your investment. For example:
•  You may have to pay more money to trade the fund’s shares. This fund will provide less information to traders, who tend to charge more for trades when they have less information.
•  The price you pay to buy fund shares on an exchange may not match the value of the fund’s portfolio. The same is true when you sell shares. These price differences may be greater for this fund compared to other ETFs because it provides less information to traders.
•  These additional risks may be even greater in bad or uncertain market conditions.
•  The ETF will publish on its website each day a “Proxy Portfolio” designed to help trading in shares of the ETF. While the Proxy Portfolio includes some of the ETF’s holdings, it is not the ETF’s actual portfolio.
The differences between this fund and other ETFs may also have advantages. By keeping certain information about the fund secret, this fund may face less risk that other traders can predict or copy its investment strategy. This may improve the fund’s performance. If other traders are able to copy or predict the fund’s investment strategy, however, this may hurt the fund’s performance.
For additional information regarding the unique attributes and risks of the fund, see Proxy Portfolio Risk, Premium/Discount Risk, Trading Halt Risk, Authorized Participant Concentration Risk, Tracking Error Risk and Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV in the Principal Risks and Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Overlap sections of the prospectus and/or the Statement of Additional Information. These risks are also discussed in the Financial Notes of this report.

         
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In This Report
Performance at a Glance 2
The Investment Environment 3
Performance and Fund Facts 4
Fund Expenses 6
Financial Statements and Portfolio Holdings 7
Financial Notes 13
Shareholder Vote Results 21
Liquidity Risk Management Program 22
Investment Advisory Agreement Approval 23
Trustees and Officers 25
Glossary 29
Fund investment adviser: Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset ManagementTM
Distributor: SEI Investments Distribution Co. (SIDCO)
The Sector/Industry classifications in this report use the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) which was developed by and is the exclusive property of MSCI Inc. (MSCI) and Standard & Poor’s (S&P). GICS is a service mark of MSCI and S&P and has been licensed for use by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. The Industry classifications used in the Portfolio Holdings are sub-categories of Sector classifications.
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Performance at a Glance
The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month end, please visit www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus.
Total Returns for the 6 Months Ended September 30, 2022
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF (Ticker Symbol: SAEF)  
Market Price Return1 -21.14%
NAV Return1 -21.30%
Russell 2500TM Index -19.32%
ETF Category: Mid-Cap Blend2 -17.56%
Performance Details pages 4-5
All total returns on this page assume dividends and distributions were reinvested. Index figures do not include trading and management costs, which would lower performance. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested in directly. Performance results less than one year are not annualized.
For index definitions, please see the Glossary.
Performance does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the redemption or sale of fund shares.
Shares are bought and sold at market price, which may be higher or lower than the net asset value (NAV). Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.
Active semi-transparent (also referred to as non-transparent) ETFs operate differently from other exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Unlike other ETFs, an active semi-transparent ETF does not publicly disclose its entire portfolio composition each business day, which may affect the price at which shares of the ETF trade in the secondary market. Active semi-transparent ETFs have limited public trading history. There can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop, be maintained or operate as intended. There is a risk that the market price of an active semi-transparent ETF may vary significantly from the ETF’s net asset value and that its shares may trade at a wider bid/ask spread and, therefore, cost investors more to trade than shares of other ETFs. These risks are heightened during periods of market disruption or volatility.
Because environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies exclude some securities, ESG-focused products may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as products that do not use such strategies. Additionally, the criteria used to select companies for investment may result in investing in securities, industries or sectors that underperform the market as a whole.
Value investing attempts to identify undervalued companies with characteristics for improved valuations. Securities that exhibit value characteristics tend to perform differently and shift in and out of favor with investors depending on changes in market and economic conditions. As a result, the fund’s performance may at times fall behind the performance of other funds that invest more broadly or in securities that exhibit different characteristics.
Mid-cap companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies and the value of securities issued by these companies may move sharply. Securities issued by small-cap companies may be riskier than those issued by larger companies, and their prices may move sharply, especially during market upturns and downturns.
1 ETF performance must be shown based on both a market price and NAV basis. The fund’s per share NAV is the value of one share of the fund. NAV is calculated by taking the fund’s total assets (including the fair value of securities owned), subtracting liabilities, and dividing by the number of shares outstanding. The NAV Return is based on the NAV of the fund, and the Market Price Return is based on the market price per share of the fund. The price used to calculate market return (Market Price) is determined using the Official Closing Price on the primary stock exchange (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) and may not represent the returns you would receive if shares were traded at other times. Market Price and NAV returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
2 Source for category information: Morningstar, Inc. The Morningstar Category return represents all passively- and actively-managed ETFs and mutual funds within the category as of the report date.
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
The Investment Environment
For the six-month reporting period ended September 30, 2022, U.S. stocks generally lost ground as a result of accelerating inflation, rising interest rates, and geopolitical tensions, including the war in Ukraine. Albeit decelerating, COVID-19 continued to weigh on the U.S. economy, with highly transmissible variants and subvariants keeping infection rates high in many areas. Economic growth slowed and recession fears rose. For the reporting period, the S&P 500® Index, a bellwether for the overall U.S. stock market, returned -20.20%. The Russell 2500TM Index, which measures the performance of the small- to mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe, returned -19.32%. Among U.S. stocks, large-cap stocks underperformed small-cap stocks, with the Russell 1000® Index and Russell 2000® Index returning -20.51% and -19.01%, respectively. Among the sectors in the Russell 2500TM Index, all lost ground for the reporting period. The weakest were the communication services and real estate sectors. Although still negative for the reporting period, the financials and consumer staples sectors were the two best performers on a comparative basis.
The U.S. economy showed signs of weakening over the reporting period. Amid ongoing supply chain disruptions, persisting inflation, and a tight labor market, gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annualized rate of -0.6% for the second quarter of 2022, following a decrease at an annualized rate of -1.6% for the first quarter of 2022. The unemployment rate remained near pre-pandemic lows over the reporting period. Inflation remained stubbornly high due to supply chain bottlenecks and soaring energy and food prices.
Monetary policy around the world varied. In the United States, after raising interest rates by 0.25% in mid-March 2022—its first hike since December 2018—the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) increased the federal funds rate four times during the reporting period—by 0.50% in early May, 0.75% in mid-June, 0.75% in late July, and 0.75% in late September—in its ongoing efforts to achieve a return to price stability. The federal funds rate ended the reporting period in a range of 3.00% to 3.25%. The Fed reiterated that further rate hikes were likely by the end of 2022. In June, the Fed also began to reduce the $9 trillion in assets it holds on its balance sheet, vowing to be even more aggressive than during its last round of quantitative tightening in 2017 through 2019.
Asset Class Performance Comparison % returns during the 6 months ended September 30, 2022    

 
Index figures assume dividends and distributions were reinvested. Index figures do not include trading and management costs, which would lower performance. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested in directly. Performance results less than one year are not annualized. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
For index definitions, please see the Glossary.
Data source: Index provider websites and Schwab Asset Management.
Nothing in this report represents a recommendation of a security by the investment adviser.
Management views may have changed since the report date.
* The net version of the index reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes but reflects no deductions for expenses or other taxes.
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month end, please visit www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus.    

 
Average Annual Total Returns1
Fund and Inception Date 6 Months Since Inception*
Fund: Schwab Ariel ESG ETF (11/16/21)    
Market Price Return2 -21.14% -27.72%
NAV Return2 -21.30% -27.96%
Russell 2500TM Index -19.32% -27.31%
ETF Category: Mid-Cap Blend3 -17.56% N/A
Fund Expense Ratio4: 0.59%
All total returns on this page assume dividends and distributions were reinvested. Index figures do not include trading and management costs, which would lower performance. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested in directly. Performance results less than one year are not annualized.
For index definitions, please see the Glossary.
Shares are bought and sold at market price, which may be higher or lower than the net asset value (NAV). Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.
Active semi-transparent (also referred to as non-transparent) ETFs operate differently from other exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Unlike other ETFs, an active semi-transparent ETF does not publicly disclose its entire portfolio composition each business day, which may affect the price at which shares of the ETF trade in the secondary market. Active semi-transparent ETFs have limited public trading history. There can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop, be maintained or operate as intended. There is a risk that the market price of an active semi-transparent ETF may vary significantly from the ETF’s net asset value and that its shares may trade at a wider bid/ask spread and, therefore, cost investors more to trade than shares of other ETFs. These risks are heightened during periods of market disruption or volatility.
Because environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies exclude some securities, ESG-focused products may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as products that do not use such strategies. Additionally, the criteria used to select companies for investment may result in investing in securities, industries or sectors that underperform the market as a whole.
Value investing attempts to identify undervalued companies with characteristics for improved valuations. Securities that exhibit value characteristics tend to perform differently and shift in and out of favor with investors depending on changes in market and economic conditions. As a result, the fund’s performance may at times fall behind the performance of other funds that invest more broadly or in securities that exhibit different characteristics.
Mid-cap companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies and the value of securities issued by these companies may move sharply. Securities issued by small-cap companies may be riskier than those issued by larger companies, and their prices may move sharply, especially during market upturns and downturns.
* Inception (11/16/21) represents the date that the shares began trading in the secondary market.
1 Performance does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the redemption or sale of fund shares.
2 ETF performance must be shown based on both a market price and NAV basis. The fund’s per share NAV is the value of one share of the fund. NAV is calculated by taking the fund’s total assets (including the fair value of securities owned), subtracting liabilities, and dividing by the number of shares outstanding. The NAV Return is based on the NAV of the fund, and the Market Price Return is based on the market price per share of the fund. The price used to calculate market return (Market Price) is determined using the Official Closing Price on the primary stock exchange (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) and may not represent the returns you would receive if shares were traded at other times. NAV is used as a proxy for purposes of calculating Market Price Return on inception date. Market Price and NAV returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
3 Source for category information: Morningstar, Inc. The Morningstar Category return represents all passively- and actively-managed ETFs and mutual funds within the category as of the report date.
4 As stated in the prospectus.
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Performance and Fund Facts as of September 30, 2022
Statistics
Number of Holdings 61
Weighted Average Market Cap (millions) $14,261
Price/Earnings Ratio (P/E) 12.8
Price/Book Ratio (P/B) 1.8
Portfolio Turnover Rate 10% 1,2
Sector Weightings % of Investments3
 
    
Top Holdings % of Net Assets4
    
    
    
    
Portfolio holdings may have changed since the report date.
Source of Sector Classification: S&P and MSCI.
1 Not annualized.
2 Portfolio turnover rate excludes securities received or delivered from processing of in-kind creations or redemptions.
3 The percentage may differ from the Portfolio Holdings because the above calculation is based on a percentage of total investments, whereas the calculation in the Portfolio Holdings is based on a percentage of net assets.
4 This list is not a recommendation of any security by the investment adviser.
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Fund Expenses (Unaudited)
Examples for a $1,000 Investment
As a fund shareholder, you may incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including brokerage commissions on purchases and sales of fund shares; and, (2) ongoing costs, including management fees.
The expense examples below are intended to help you understand your ongoing cost (in dollars) of investing in the fund and to compare this cost with the ongoing cost of investing in other mutual funds. These examples are based on an investment of $1,000 invested for six months beginning April 1, 2022 and held through September 30, 2022.
Actual Return line in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use this information, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value ÷ $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for the fund under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period.”
Hypothetical Return line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed return of 5% per year before expenses. Because the return used is not an actual return, it may not be used to estimate the actual ending account value or expenses you paid for the period.
You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.
Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, including any brokerage commissions you may pay when purchasing or selling shares of a fund. Therefore, the hypothetical return lines of the table are useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
 
    
    
  EXPENSE RATIO
(ANNUALIZED) 1 		BEGINNING
ACCOUNT VALUE
AT 4/1/22 		ENDING
ACCOUNT VALUE
(NET OF EXPENSES)
AT 9/30/22 		EXPENSES PAID
DURING PERIOD
4/1/22-9/30/22 2
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF        
Actual Return 0.59% $1,000.00 $ 787.00 $2.64
Hypothetical 5% Return 0.59% $1,000.00 $1,022.11 $2.99
    
1 Based on the most recent six-month expense ratio.
2 Expenses for the fund are equal to its annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 183 days of the period, and divided by 365 days of the fiscal year.
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Financial Statements
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
  4/1/22–
9/30/22* 		11/16/21 1–
3/31/22 		       
Per-Share Data
Net asset value at beginning of period $22.84 $25.00        
Income (loss) from investment operations:            
Net investment income (loss)2 0.07 0.05        
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) (4.93) (2.16)        
Total from investment operations (4.86) (2.11)        
Less distributions:            
Distributions from net investment income (0.05) (0.05)        
Net asset value at end of period $17.93 $22.84        
Total return (21.30%) 3 (8.46%) 3        
Ratios/Supplemental Data
Ratios to average net assets:            
Total expenses 0.59% 4,5 0.59% 6        
Net investment income (loss) 0.65% 4 0.61% 6        
Portfolio turnover rate7 10% 3 15% 3        
Net assets, end of period (x 1,000) $10,665 $10,622        
    
* Unaudited.
1 Commencement of operations.
2 Calculated based on the average shares outstanding during the period.
3 Not annualized.
4 Annualized (except for proxy expenses).
5 Ratio includes less than 0.005% of non-routine proxy expenses.
6 Annualized.
7 Portfolio turnover rate excludes securities received or delivered from processing of in-kind creations or redemptions.
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Portfolio Holdings  as of September 30, 2022 (Unaudited)
This section shows all the securities in the fund’s portfolio and their values as of the report date.
The fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT Part F. The fund’s Form N-PORT Part F is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You can also obtain this information at no cost on the fund’s website at www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus, by calling 1-866-414-6349, or by sending an email request to [email protected]. The fund also makes available its complete schedule of holdings approximately 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter on the fund’s website.    

 
SECURITY NUMBER
OF SHARES 		VALUE ($)
COMMON STOCKS 99.0% OF NET ASSETS
 
Automobiles & Components 3.4%
BorgWarner, Inc. 4,745 148,993
Gentex Corp. 8,925 212,772
    361,765
 
Banks 2.8%
M&T Bank Corp. 1,709 301,331
 
Capital Goods 14.8%
Generac Holdings, Inc. * 1,125 200,408
Kennametal, Inc. 8,476 174,436
Masco Corp. 2,436 113,737
nVent Electric PLC 7,744 244,788
Resideo Technologies, Inc. * 15,515 295,716
Sensata Technologies Holding PLC 4,755 177,266
Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. 1,310 102,704
Snap-on, Inc. 744 149,804
The Middleby Corp. * 962 123,300
    1,582,159
 
Commercial & Professional Services 7.1%
Brady Corp., Class A 2,380 99,317
Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc. 11,424 141,543
Korn Ferry 1,588 74,557
Stericycle, Inc. * 4,641 195,432
The Brink's Co. 4,983 241,377
    752,226
 
Consumer Durables & Apparel 3.2%
Mattel, Inc. * 12,227 231,579
Mohawk Industries, Inc. * 1,190 108,516
    340,095
 
Consumer Services 11.1%
ADT, Inc. 27,068 202,739
Adtalem Global Education, Inc. * 3,239 118,062
Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. * 30,595 206,822
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. * 27,403 311,298
OneSpaWorld Holdings Ltd. * 41,146 345,627
    1,184,548
 
Diversified Financials 8.1%
KKR & Co., Inc. 4,760 204,680
Lazard Ltd., Class A 5,697 181,335
Northern Trust Corp. 2,968 253,942
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. 777 227,700
    867,657
 
SECURITY NUMBER
OF SHARES 		VALUE ($)
Food & Staples Retailing 1.1%
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. 3,808 119,571
 
Food, Beverage & Tobacco 0.7%
The JM Smucker Co. 565 77,637
 
Health Care Equipment & Services 7.9%
Cardinal Health, Inc. 2,261 150,763
Envista Holdings Corp. * 5,060 166,019
Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings 872 178,594
Patterson Cos., Inc. 5,804 139,412
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. 1,834 191,745
Zimvie, Inc. * 1,446 14,272
    840,805
 
Household & Personal Products 1.1%
Reynolds Consumer Products, Inc. 4,614 120,010
 
Insurance 5.2%
Aflac, Inc. 3,641 204,624
First American Financial Corp. 3,927 181,035
The Progressive Corp. 1,402 162,926
    548,585
 
Materials 1.4%
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. * 6,902 145,356
 
Media & Entertainment 8.0%
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. * 5,150 227,063
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. * 952 130,100
Manchester United Plc, Class A 16,303 216,341
Paramount Global, Class B 6,691 127,397
The Interpublic Group of Cos., Inc. 6,096 156,058
    856,959
 
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences 4.9%
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Class A * 281 117,216
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. * 940 184,992
Prestige Consumer Healthcare, Inc. * 4,474 222,940
    525,148
 
Real Estate 3.0%
CBRE Group, Inc., Class A * 2,499 168,707
Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc. * 979 147,898
    316,605
 
Retailing 0.7%
CarMax, Inc. * 1,190 78,564
 
 
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Portfolio Holdings  as of September 30, 2022 (Unaudited) (continued)
SECURITY NUMBER
OF SHARES 		VALUE ($)
Software & Services 5.5%
Fair Isaac Corp. * 503 207,241
Fiserv, Inc. * 2,856 267,236
The Hackett Group, Inc. 6,386 113,160
    587,637
 
Technology Hardware & Equipment 9.0%
Keysight Technologies, Inc. * 1,423 223,923
Knowles Corp. * 9,610 116,954
Littelfuse, Inc. 862 171,271
Motorola Solutions, Inc. 727 162,826
Zebra Technologies Corp., Class A * 1,066 279,303
    954,277
Total Common Stocks
(Cost $13,705,877) 		10,560,935
SECURITY NUMBEROF SHARES VALUE ($)
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS 1.4% OF NET ASSETS
 
Money Market Funds 1.4%
State Street Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, Premier Class 2.94% (a) 147,816 147,816
Total Short-Term Investments
(Cost $147,816) 		147,816
Total Investments in Securities
(Cost $13,853,693) 		10,708,751
    
* Non-income producing security.
(a) The rate shown is the 7-day yield.
 
The following is a summary of the inputs used to value the fund’s investments as of September 30, 2022 (see financial note 2(a) for additional information):
DESCRIPTION QUOTED PRICES IN
ACTIVE MARKETS FOR
IDENTICAL ASSETS
(LEVEL 1) 		OTHER SIGNIFICANT
OBSERVABLE INPUTS
(LEVEL 2) 		SIGNIFICANT
UNOBSERVABLE INPUTS
(LEVEL 3) 		TOTAL
Assets        
Common Stocks1 $10,560,935 $— $— $10,560,935
Short-Term Investments1 147,816 — — 147,816
Total $10,708,751 $— $— $10,708,751
    
1 As categorized in the Portfolio Holdings.
Fund investments in mutual funds are classified as Level 1, without consideration to the classification level of the underlying securities held by the mutual funds, which could be Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3.
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
As of September 30, 2022; unaudited
Assets
Investments in securities, at value - unaffiliated (cost $13,853,693)   $10,708,751
Receivables:    
Dividends + 7,984
Total assets   10,716,735
Liabilities
Payables:    
Investments bought   45,486
Management fees + 5,840
Total liabilities   51,326
Net assets   $10,665,409
Net Assets by Source
Capital received from investors   $13,861,114
Total distributable loss + (3,195,705)
Net assets   $10,665,409
    
Net Asset Value (NAV)
Net Assets ÷ Shares
Outstanding 		= NAV
$10,665,409   595,000   $17.93
         
         
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Statement of Operations
For the period April 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022; unaudited
Investment Income
Dividends received from securities - unaffiliated   $68,158
Expenses
Management fees   32,432
Proxy fees1 + 423
Total expenses – 32,855
Net investment income   35,303
REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAINS (LOSSES)
Net realized losses on sales of securities - unaffiliated   (58,884)
Net realized gains on sales of in-kind redemptions - unaffiliated + 28,537
Net realized losses   (30,347)
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on securities - unaffiliated + (2,615,972)
Net realized and unrealized losses   (2,646,319)
Decrease in net assets resulting from operations   ($2,611,016)
    
1 Proxy fees are non-routine expenses (see financial note 2(d) for additional information).
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Statement of Changes in Net Assets
For the current and prior report periods
Figures for the current period are unaudited
OPERATIONS
  4/1/22-9/30/22 11/16/21 1-3/31/22
Net investment income   $35,303 $19,134
Net realized losses   (30,347) (31,335)
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) + (2,615,972) (528,970)
Decrease in net assets from operations   ($2,611,016) ($541,171)
DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS
Total distributions   ($26,297) ($18,371)
    
TRANSACTIONS IN FUND SHARES
  4/1/22-9/30/22 11/16/21 1-3/31/22
    SHARES VALUE SHARES VALUE
Shares sold   140,000 $2,901,658 465,000 $11,181,214
Shares redeemed + (10,000) (220,608) — —
Net transactions in fund shares   130,000 $2,681,050 465,000 $11,181,214
SHARES OUTSTANDING AND NET ASSETS
  4/1/22-9/30/22 11/16/21 1-3/31/22
    SHARES NET ASSETS SHARES NET ASSETS
Beginning of period   465,000 $10,621,672 — $—
Total increase + 130,000 43,737 465,000 10,621,672
End of period   595,000 $10,665,409 465,000 $10,621,672
    
1 Commencement of operations.
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Table of Contents
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Financial Notes, unaudited
1. Business Structure of the Fund:
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF is a series of Schwab Strategic Trust (the trust), a no-load, open-end management investment company. The trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act). The list below shows all the operational funds in the trust as of the end of the period, including the fund discussed in this report, which is highlighted:
SCHWAB STRATEGIC TRUST (ORGANIZED JANUARY 27, 2009)
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF Schwab U.S. TIPS ETF
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF
Schwab 1000 Index® ETF Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF
Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF Schwab Long-Term U.S. Treasury ETF
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF Schwab U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF Schwab 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETF
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF Schwab 5-10 Year Corporate Bond ETF
Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market Index ETF
Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company Index ETF
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF
Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF Schwab Fundamental International Large Company Index ETF
Schwab International Equity ETF Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index ETF
Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company Index ETF
Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
The fund issues and redeems shares at its net asset value per share (NAV) only in large blocks of shares (Creation Units). These transactions are usually in exchange for a basket of securities and/or an amount of cash. As a practical matter, only institutional investors who have entered into an authorized participant agreement purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of the fund are not redeemable securities.
Individual shares of the fund trade on national securities exchanges and elsewhere during the trading day and can only be bought and sold at market prices throughout the trading day through a broker-dealer. Because fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). A chart showing the frequency at which the fund’s daily closing market price was at a discount or premium to the fund’s NAV can be found at www.schwabassetmanagement.com.
The fund maintains its own account for purposes of holding assets and accounting, and is considered a separate entity for tax purposes. Within its account, the fund may also keep certain assets in segregated accounts, as required by securities law.
2. Significant Accounting Policies:
The following is a summary of the significant accounting policies the fund uses in its preparation of financial statements. The fund follows the investment company accounting and reporting guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standard Codification Topic 946 Financial Services — Investment Companies. The accounting policies are in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP).
The fund may invest in certain mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which are referred to as "underlying funds". For more information about the underlying funds’ operations and policies, please refer to those funds’ semiannual and annual reports, which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
(a) Security Valuation
Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Board has designated authority to a Valuation Designee, the fund’s investment adviser, to make fair valuation determinations under adopted procedures, subject to Board oversight. The investment adviser has formed a Pricing Committee to administer the pricing and valuation of portfolio securities and other assets and to ensure that prices used for internal purposes or provided by third parties reasonably reflect fair value. The Valuation Designee may utilize independent pricing services, quotations from securities and financial instrument dealers and other market sources to determine fair value.
Securities held in the fund’s portfolio are valued every business day. The following valuation policies and procedures are used by the Valuation Designee to value various types of securities:
•   Securities traded on an exchange or over-the-counter: Traded securities are valued at the closing value for the day, or, on days when no closing value has been reported, at the mean of the most recent bid and ask quotes.
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Financial Notes, unaudited (continued)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (continued):
•   Mutual funds: Mutual funds are valued at their respective NAVs.
•   Securities for which no quoted value is available: The Valuation Designee has adopted procedures to fair value the fund’s securities when market prices are not “readily available” or are unreliable. For example, a security may be fair valued when it’s de-listed or its trading is halted or suspended; when a security’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; or when a security’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours. Fair value determinations are made in good faith in accordance with adopted valuation procedures. The Valuation Designee considers a number of factors, including unobservable market inputs, when arriving at fair value. The Valuation Designee may employ methods such as the review of related or comparable assets or liabilities, related market activities, recent transactions, market multiples, book values, transactional back-testing, disposition analysis and other relevant information. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that a fund could obtain the fair value assigned to the security upon the sale of such security.
In accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosures under GAAP, the fund discloses the fair value of its investments in a hierarchy that prioritizes the significant inputs to valuation methods used to measure the fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to valuations based upon unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to valuations based upon unobservable inputs that are significant to the valuation (Level 3 measurements). If inputs used to measure the financial instruments fall within different levels of the hierarchy, the categorization is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the valuation. If it is determined that either the volume and/or level of activity for an asset or liability has significantly decreased (from normal conditions for that asset or liability) or price quotations or observable inputs are not associated with orderly transactions, increased analysis and management judgment will be required to estimate fair value.
The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:
•   Level 1 — quoted prices in active markets for identical securities — Investments whose values are based on quoted market prices in active markets, and whose values are therefore classified as Level 1 prices, include active listed equities and mutual funds. Investments in mutual funds are valued daily at their NAVs, which are classified as Level 1 prices, without consideration to the classification level of the underlying securities held by an underlying fund.
•   Level 2 — other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.) — Investments that trade in markets that are not considered to be active, but whose values are based on quoted market prices, dealer quotations or valuations provided by alternative pricing sources supported by observable inputs are classified as Level 2 prices. These generally include U.S. government and sovereign obligations, most government agency securities, investment-grade corporate bonds, certain mortgage products, less liquid listed equities, and state, municipal and provincial obligations.
•   Level 3 — significant unobservable inputs (including the Valuation Designee’s assumptions in determining the fair value of investments) — Investments whose values are classified as Level 3 prices have significant unobservable inputs, as they may trade infrequently or not at all. When observable prices are not readily available for these securities, one or more valuation methods are used for which sufficient and reliable data is available. The inputs used in estimating the value of Level 3 prices may include the original transaction price, quoted prices for similar securities or assets in active markets, completed or pending third-party transactions in the underlying investment or comparable issuers, and changes in financial ratios or cash flows. Level 3 prices may also be adjusted to reflect illiquidity and/or non-transferability, with the amount of such discount estimated in the absence of market information. Assumptions used due to the lack of observable inputs may significantly impact the resulting fair value and therefore the fund’s results of operations.
The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
The levels associated with valuing the fund’s investments as of September 30, 2022 are disclosed in the Portfolio Holdings.
(b) Security Transactions:
Security transactions are recorded as of the date the order to buy or sell the security is executed. Realized gains and losses from security transactions are based on the identified costs of the securities involved.
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Financial Notes, unaudited (continued)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (continued):
(c) Investment Income:
Interest income is recorded as it accrues. Dividends and distributions from portfolio securities and underlying funds are recorded on the date they are effective (the ex-dividend date). Any distributions from underlying funds are recorded in accordance with the character of the distributions as designated by the underlying funds.
(d)  Expenses:
Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Advisory Agreement (Advisory Agreement) between the investment adviser and the trust, the investment adviser will pay the operating expenses of the fund, excluding taxes, any brokerage expenses, and extraordinary or non-routine expenses. Taxes, any brokerage expenses and extraordinary or non-routine expenses that are specific to the fund are charged directly to the fund. The Advisory Agreement excludes paying acquired fund fees and expenses, which are indirect expenses incurred by a fund through its investments in underlying funds.
(e) Distributions to Shareholders:
The fund makes distributions from net investment income, if any, quarterly and from net realized capital gains, if any, once a year. To receive a distribution, you must be a registered shareholder on the record date. Distributions are paid to shareholders on the payable date.
(f) Accounting Estimates:
The accounting policies described in this report conform to GAAP. Notwithstanding this, shareholders should understand that in order to follow these principles, fund management has to make estimates and assumptions that affect the information reported in the financial statements. It’s possible that once the results are known, they may turn out to be different from these estimates and these differences may be material.
(g) Federal Income Taxes:
The fund intends to meet federal income and excise tax requirements for regulated investment companies under subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended. Accordingly, the fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, to its shareholders each year. As long as the fund meets the tax requirements, it is not required to pay federal income tax.
(h) Indemnification:
Under the fund’s organizational documents, the officers and trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the fund. In addition, in the normal course of business the fund enters into contracts with its vendors and others that provide general indemnifications. The fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the fund. However, based on experience, the fund expects the risk of loss attributable to these arrangements to be remote.
(i) Regulatory Update:
In October 2022, the SEC adopted rule and form amendments to require mutual funds and ETFs to transmit concise and visually engaging streamlined annual and semiannual reports to shareholders that highlight key information deemed important for retail investors to assess and monitor their fund investments. Other information, including financial statements, will no longer appear in funds’ streamlined shareholder reports but must be available online, delivered free of charge upon request, and filed on a semiannual basis on Form N-CSR. The rule and form amendments are effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. The compliance date is 18 months following the effective date. At this time, management is evaluating the impact of these rule and form amendment changes on the content of the current shareholder report and the newly created annual and semiannual streamlined shareholder reports.
3. Risk Factors:
Investing in the fund may involve certain risks, as discussed in the fund’s prospectus, including, but not limited to, those described below. Any of these risks could cause an investor to lose money.
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Financial Notes, unaudited (continued)
3. Risk Factors (continued):
Proxy Portfolio Risk. Unlike traditional ETFs that disclose their portfolio holdings on a daily basis, the fund does not disclose its holdings daily, rather it discloses a Proxy Portfolio. The goal of the Proxy Portfolio, during all market conditions, is to track closely the daily performance of the Actual Portfolio and minimize intra-day misalignment between the performance of the Proxy Portfolio and the performance of the Actual Portfolio. The Proxy Portfolio is designed to reflect the economic exposures and the risk characteristics of the Actual Portfolio on any given trading day.
The Proxy Portfolio is intended to provide authorized participants and other market participants with enough information to support an effective arbitrage mechanism that keeps the market price of the fund at or close to the underlying net asset value (NAV) per share of the fund. The Proxy Portfolio methodology is novel and not yet proven as an effective arbitrage mechanism. The effectiveness of the Proxy Portfolio as an arbitrage mechanism is contingent upon, among other things, the fund’s factor model analysis creating a Proxy Portfolio that performs in a manner substantially identical to the performance of the Actual Portfolio and the willingness of authorized participants and other market participants to trade based on a Proxy Portfolio. There is no guarantee that this arbitrage mechanism will operate as intended. Further, while the Proxy Portfolio may include some of the fund’s holdings, it is not the fund’s Actual Portfolio. ETFs trading on the basis of a published Proxy Portfolio may exhibit wider premiums and discounts, bid/ask spreads, and tracking error than other ETFs using the same investment strategies that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, especially during periods of market disruption or volatility. Therefore, shares of the fund may cost investors more to trade than shares of a traditional ETF.
•   Each day the fund calculates the overlap between the holdings of the prior Business Day’s Proxy Portfolio compared to the Actual Portfolio (Proxy Overlap) and the difference, in percentage terms, between the Proxy Portfolio per share NAV and that of the Actual Portfolio (Tracking Error). If the Tracking Error becomes large, there is a risk that the performance of the Proxy Portfolio may deviate from the performance of the Actual Portfolio.
•   The fund’s Board of Trustees (the Board) monitors its Tracking Error, bid/ask spread and premiums/discounts. If deviations become too large, the Board will consider the continuing viability of the fund, whether shareholders are being harmed, and what, if any, corrective measures would be appropriate. See the Statement of Additional Information for further discussion of the Board’s monitoring responsibilities.
•   Although the fund seeks to benefit from keeping its portfolio information secret, market participants may attempt to use the Proxy Portfolio to identify the fund’s trading strategy, which if successful, could result in such market participants engaging in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm the fund and its shareholders. The Proxy Portfolio and any related disclosures have been designed to minimize the risk of predatory trading practices, but they may not be successful in doing so.
Premium/Discount Risk. Publication of the Proxy Portfolio is not the same level of transparency as the publication of the Actual Portfolio by a fully transparent ETF. Although the Proxy Portfolio is intended to provide authorized participants and other market participants with enough information to allow for an effective arbitrage mechanism that is intended to keep the market price of the fund at or close to the underlying NAV per share of the fund, there is a risk (which may increase during periods of market disruption or volatility) that market prices will vary significantly from NAV per share of the fund. This means the price paid to buy shares on an exchange may not match the value of the fund’s portfolio. The same is true when shares are sold.
Trading Halt Risk. If securities representing 10% or more of the fund’s Actual Portfolio do not have readily available market quotations, the fund will promptly request that the listing exchange halt trading in the fund’s shares which means that investors would not be able to trade their shares. Trading halts may have a greater impact on the fund compared to other ETFs due to the fund’s non-transparent structure. If the trading of a security held in the fund’s Actual Portfolio is halted, or otherwise does not have readily available market quotations, and the investment adviser believes that the lack of any such readily available market quotations may affect the reliability of the Proxy Portfolio as an arbitrage vehicle, or otherwise determines it is in the best interest of the fund, the investment adviser will promptly disclose on the fund’s website the identity and weighting of such security for so long as such security’s trading is halted or otherwise does not have readily available market quotations and remains in the Actual Portfolio.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund. The fund may have a limited number of institutions that act as authorized participants, none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to process creation and/or redemption orders, fund shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting. This risk may be more pronounced during periods of market volatility or market disruptions. The fact that the fund is offering a novel and unique structure may affect the number of entities willing to act as authorized participants.
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Financial Notes, unaudited (continued)
3. Risk Factors (continued):
Tracking Error Risk. Although the Proxy Portfolio is designed to reflect the economic exposure and risk characteristics of the fund’s Actual Portfolio on any given trading day, there is a risk that the performance of the Proxy Portfolio will diverge from the performance of the Actual Portfolio, potentially materially.
Equity Risk. The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, industries or the securities market as a whole. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.
Market Capitalization Risk. Securities issued by companies of different market capitalizations tend to go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions. During a period when securities of a particular market capitalization fall behind other types of investments, the fund’s performance could be impacted.
Small-Cap Company Risk. Securities issued by small-cap companies may be riskier than those issued by larger companies, and their prices may move sharply, especially during market upturns and downturns.
Mid-Cap Company Risk. Mid-cap companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies and the value of securities issued by these companies may move sharply.
Management Risk. As with all actively managed funds, the fund is subject to the risk that its investment adviser and/or subadviser will select investments or allocate assets in a manner that could cause the fund to underperform or otherwise not meet its investment objective. The fund’s investment adviser and/or subadviser applies its own investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the fund, but there can be no guarantee that they will produce the desired results.
ESG Risk. Because the fund considers ESG metrics in addition to fundamental financial metrics when selecting securities, its portfolio may perform differently than funds that do not screen for ESG attributes. Additionally, the criteria used to select companies for investment may result in the fund investing in securities, industries or sectors that underperform the market as a whole. ESG considerations may prioritize long-term rather than short-term returns. Furthermore, when screening securities’ ESG attributes, the portfolio management team utilizes information published by third-party sources and as a result there is a risk that this information might be incorrect, incomplete, inconsistent or incomparable, which could cause the subadviser to incorrectly assess a company’s business practices with respect to its ESG practices. ESG is not a uniformly defined characteristic and applying ESG criteria involves a subjective assessment.
Value Investing Risk. Value investing attempts to identify undervalued companies with characteristics for improved valuations. Securities that exhibit value characteristics tend to perform differently and shift in and out of favor with investors depending on changes in market and economic conditions. As a result, the fund’s performance may at times fall behind the performance of other funds that invest more broadly or in securities that exhibit different characteristics.
Market Risk. Financial markets rise and fall in response to a variety of factors, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Markets may be impacted by economic, political, regulatory and other conditions, including economic sanctions and other government actions. In addition, the occurrence of global events, such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters and epidemics, may also negatively affect the financial markets. As with any investment whose performance is tied to these markets, the value of an investment in the fund will fluctuate, which means that an investor could lose money over short or long periods.
Liquidity Risk. The fund may be unable to sell certain securities, such as illiquid securities, readily at a favorable time or price, or the fund may have to sell them at a loss.
Securities Lending Risk. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in, or delay in recovery of, the loaned securities if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent.
Market Trading Risk. Although fund shares are listed on national securities exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for fund shares will develop or be maintained. If an active market is not maintained, investors may find it difficult to buy or sell fund shares.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the fund will approximate the fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. In addition, due to the fund’s novel and unique structure, shares of the fund may trade at a larger premium or discount to the NAV of shares of traditional ETFs that disclose their portfolio holdings daily. As a result, an investor may pay more than NAV when buying shares of the fund in the secondary market, and an investor may receive less than NAV when selling those shares in the secondary market. The market price of fund shares may deviate, sometimes significantly, from NAV during periods of market disruptions or volatility.
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Financial Notes, unaudited (continued)
3. Risk Factors (continued):
Please refer to the fund’s prospectus for a more complete description of the principal risks of investing in the fund.
4. Affiliates and Affiliated Transactions:
Investment Adviser
Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation, serves as the fund’s investment adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement between the investment adviser and the trust. Ariel Investments, LLC (Ariel), the fund’s subadviser, provides day-to-day portfolio management services to the fund, subject to the supervision of the investment adviser.
For its advisory services to the fund, the investment adviser is entitled to receive an annual management fee, payable monthly, equal to 0.59% of the fund’s average daily net assets.
The investment adviser (not the fund) pays a portion of the management fee it receives to Ariel in return for its portfolio management services.
Interfund Borrowing and Lending
Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC, the fund may enter into interfund borrowing and lending transactions with other funds in the Fund Complex (for definition refer to the Trustees and Officers section). All loans are for temporary or emergency purposes and the interest rate to be charged will be the average of the overnight repurchase agreement rate and the short-term bank loan rate. All loans are subject to numerous conditions designed to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all participating funds. The interfund lending facility is subject to the oversight and periodic review of the Board. The fund had no interfund borrowing or lending activity during the period.
5. Other Service Providers:
SEI Investments Distribution Co. is the principal underwriter and distributor of shares of the fund.
State Street Bank and Trust Company (State Street) serves as the fund’s transfer agent. As part of these services, the transfer agent maintains records pertaining to the sale, redemption and transfer of the fund’s shares. The transfer agent is also responsible for the order-taking function for the fund’s shares.
State Street also serves as custodian and accountant for the fund. The custodian is responsible for the daily safekeeping of securities and cash held by the fund. The fund’s accountant maintains all books and records related to the fund’s transactions.
6. Board of Trustees:
The Board may include people who are officers and/or directors of the investment adviser or its affiliates. Federal securities law limits the percentage of such “interested persons” who may serve on a trust’s board, and the trust was in compliance with these limitations throughout the report period. The fund does not pay any interested or non-interested trustees (independent trustees). The independent trustees are paid by the investment adviser. For information regarding the trustees, please refer to the Trustees and Officers table at the end of this report.
7. Borrowing from Banks:
During the period, the fund was a participant with other funds in the Fund Complex in a joint, syndicated, committed $850 million line of credit (the Syndicated Credit Facility), which matured on September 29, 2022. On September 29, 2022, the Syndicated Credit Facility was amended to run for a new 364 day period with the line of credit amount increasing to $1 billion, maturing on September 28, 2023. Under the terms of the Syndicated Credit Facility, in addition to the investment adviser paying the interest charged on any borrowings by the fund, the investment adviser paid a commitment fee of 0.15% per annum on its proportionate share of the unused portion of the Syndicated Credit Facility.
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Financial Notes, unaudited (continued)
7. Borrowing from Banks (continued):
During the period, the fund was a participant with other funds in the Fund Complex in a joint, unsecured, uncommitted $400 million line of credit (the Uncommitted Credit Facility), with State Street, which matured on September 29, 2022. On September 29, 2022, the Uncommitted Credit Facility was amended to run for a new 364 day period with the line of credit amount remaining unchanged, maturing on September 28, 2023. Under the terms of the Uncommitted Credit Facility, the investment adviser pays interest on the amount the fund borrows. There were no borrowings from either line of credit during the period.
The fund also has access to custodian overdraft facilities. The fund may have utilized the overdraft facility and incurred an interest expense, which is paid by the investment adviser. The interest expense is determined based on a negotiated rate above the current Federal Funds Rate.
8. Purchases and Sales of Investment Securities:
For the period ended September 30, 2022, purchases and sales of securities (excluding in-kind transactions and short-term obligations) were as follows:
PURCHASES
OF SECURITIES 		SALES
OF SECURITIES
$1,290,462 $1,008,935
9. In-Kind Transactions:
The consideration for the purchase of Creation Units of the fund often consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of equity securities, which constitutes an optimized representation of the securities involved in a relevant fund’s underlying index, and an amount of cash. Investors purchasing and redeeming Creation Units are subject to a standard creation transaction fee and a standard redemption transaction fee paid to the custodian to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. Purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units for cash are subject to an additional variable charge paid to the fund that will offset the transaction costs to the fund of buying or selling portfolio securities. In addition, purchasers and redeemers of shares in Creation Units are responsible for payment of the costs of transferring securities to or out of the fund. From time to time, the investment adviser may cover the cost of any transaction fees when believed to be in the best interests of the fund.
The in-kind transactions for the period ended September 30, 2022, were as follows:
IN-KIND PURCHASES
OF SECURITIES 		IN-KIND SALES
OF SECURITIES
$2,694,743 $205,432
For the period ended September 30, 2022, the fund realized net capital gains or losses resulting from in-kind redemptions of Creation Units. Because such gains or losses are not taxable to the fund and are not distributed to existing fund shareholders, the gains or losses are reclassified from accumulated net realized gains or losses to capital received from investors at the end of the fund’s tax year. These reclassifications have no effect on net assets or net asset values per share. The net realized in-kind gains or losses on sales of in-kind redemptions for the period ended September 30, 2022 are disclosed in the fund’s Statement of Operations, if any.
10. Federal Income Taxes:
As of September 30, 2022, the tax basis cost of the fund’s investments and gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation were as follows:
TAX COST GROSS UNREALIZED
APPRECIATION 		GROSS UNREALIZED
DEPRECIATION 		NET UNREALIZED
APPRECIATION
(DEPRECIATION)
$13,875,418 $88,080 ($3,254,747) ($3,166,667)
Capital loss carryforwards have no expiration and may be used to offset future realized capital gains for federal income tax purposes. As of March 31, 2022, the fund had capital loss carryforwards of $14,758.
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Financial Notes, unaudited (continued)
10. Federal Income Taxes (continued):
The tax-basis components of distributions and components of distributable earnings on a tax basis are finalized at fiscal year-end; accordingly, tax basis balances have not been determined as of September 30, 2022. The tax-basis components of distributions paid during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022 were as follows:
  PRIOR FISCAL YEAR END DISTRIBUTIONS
  ORDINARY
INCOME
  $18,371
Distributions paid to shareholders are based on net investment income and net realized gains determined on a tax basis, which may differ from net investment income and net realized gains for financial reporting purposes. These differences reflect the differing character of certain income items and net realized gains and losses for financial statement and tax purposes, and may result in reclassification among certain capital accounts on the financial statements. The fund may also designate a portion of the amount paid to redeeming shareholders as a distribution for tax purposes.
As of March 31, 2022, management has reviewed the tax positions for open periods (for federal purposes, three years from the date of filing and for state purposes, four years from the date of filing) as applicable to the fund, and has determined that no provision for income tax is required in the fund’s financial statements. The fund recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense in the Statement of Operations. During the period ended March 31, 2022, the fund did not incur any interest or penalties.
11. Subsequent Events:
Management has determined there are no subsequent events or transactions through the date the financial statements were issued that would have materially impacted the financial statements as presented.
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Shareholder Vote Results  (unaudited)
A Special Meeting of Shareholders of Schwab Strategic Trust (the “Trust”) was held on June 1, 2022, for the purpose of seeking shareholder approval to elect the following individuals as trustees of the Trust: Walter W. Bettinger II, Richard A. Wurster, Michael J. Beer, Robert W. Burns, Nancy F. Heller, David L. Mahoney, Jane P. Moncreiff, Kiran M. Patel, Kimberly S. Patmore, and J. Derek Penn. The number of votes necessary to conduct the Special Meeting and approve the proposal was obtained. The results of the shareholder vote are listed below:
Proposal – To elect each of the
following individuals as trustees of the Trust: 		For Withheld
Walter W. Bettinger II 1,707,011,744.958 53,766,812.577
Richard A. Wurster 1,741,778,933.018 18,999,624.517
Michael J. Beer 1,741,911,579.511 18,866,978.024
Robert W. Burns 1,742,002,589.714 18,775,967.821
Nancy F. Heller 1,743,265,288.229 17,513,269.306
David L. Mahoney 1,488,067,807.852 272,710,749.683
Jane P. Moncreiff 1,743,396,670.121 17,381,887.414
Kiran M. Patel 1,738,761,227.827 22,017,329.708
Kimberly S. Patmore 1,740,654,694.664 20,123,862.871
J. Derek Penn 1,739,737,491.136 21,041,066.399
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Liquidity Risk Management Program  (unaudited)
The fund has adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program (the “program”) as required by Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) has designated the fund’s investment adviser, Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management, as the administrator of the program. Personnel of the investment adviser or its affiliates conduct the day-to-day operation of the program.
Under the program, the investment adviser manages a fund’s liquidity risk, which is the risk that the fund could not meet shareholder redemption requests without significant dilution of remaining shareholders’ interests in the fund. The program is reasonably designed to assess and manage a fund’s liquidity risk, taking into consideration the fund’s investment strategy and the liquidity of its portfolio investments during normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions; its historical redemption history and shareholder concentrations; and its cash holdings and access to other funding sources, including the custodian overdraft facility and lines of credit. The investment adviser’s process of determining the degree of liquidity of each fund’s investments is supported by third-party liquidity assessment vendors.
The fund’s Board reviewed a report at its meeting held on September 19, 2022 prepared by the investment adviser regarding the operation and effectiveness of the program for the period June 1, 2021, through May 31, 2022, which included individual fund liquidity metrics. No significant liquidity events impacting the fund were noted in the report. In addition, the investment adviser provided its assessment that the program had been operating effectively in managing the fund’s liquidity risk.
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Investment Advisory Agreement Approval
The Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), requires that the continuation of a fund’s investment advisory agreement must be specifically approved (1) by the vote of the trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of the fund, and (2) by the vote of a majority of the trustees who are not parties to the investment advisory agreement or “interested persons” of any party (the Independent Trustees), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. In connection with such approvals, the fund’s trustees must request and evaluate, and the investment adviser is required to furnish, such information as may be reasonably necessary to evaluate the terms of the investment advisory agreement.
The Board of Trustees (the Board or the Trustees, as appropriate) calls and holds one or more meetings each year that are dedicated, in whole or in part, to considering whether to renew the investment advisory agreement between Schwab Strategic Trust (the Trust) and Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (dba Schwab Asset Management) (the investment adviser), and the subadvisory agreement between the investment adviser and Ariel Investments, LLC (Ariel) (such investment advisory and sub-advisory agreements, collectively, the Agreements) with respect to Schwab Ariel ESG ETF (the Fund), and to review certain other agreements pursuant to which the investment adviser provides investment advisory services to other funds in the Trust and certain other registered investment companies. In preparation for the meeting(s), the Board requests and reviews a wide variety of materials provided by the investment adviser and Ariel, including information about their affiliates, personnel, business goals and priorities, profitability, third-party oversight, corporate structure and operations. The Board also receives data provided by an independent provider of investment company data. This information is in addition to the detailed information about the Fund that the Board reviews during the course of each year, including information that relates to the Fund’s operations and performance, legal and compliance matters, risk management, portfolio turnover, and sales and marketing activity. In considering the renewal, the Independent Trustees receive advice from Independent Trustees’ legal counsel, including a memorandum regarding the responsibilities of trustees for the approval of investment advisory agreements. In addition, the Independent Trustees participate in question and answer sessions with representatives of the investment adviser and meet in executive session outside the presence of Fund management.
As part of the renewal process and ongoing oversight of the investment advisory and sub-advisory relationships, the Independent Trustees’ legal counsel, on behalf of the Independent Trustees, sends an information request letter to the investment adviser and the investment adviser sends an information request letter to Ariel seeking certain relevant
information. The responses by the investment adviser and Ariel are provided to the Trustees in the Board materials for their review prior to their meeting, and the Trustees are provided with the opportunity to request any additional materials.
The Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, considered information specifically relating to the continuance of the Agreements with respect to the Fund at meetings held on May 16, 2022 and June 8, 2022, and approved the renewal of the Agreements with respect to the Fund for an additional one-year term at the meeting on June 8, 2022 called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
The Board’s approval of the continuance of the Agreements was based on consideration and evaluation of a variety of specific factors discussed at these meetings and at prior meetings, including:
1. the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund under the Agreements, including the resources of the investment adviser and its affiliates, and Ariel, dedicated to the Fund;
2. the Fund’s limited investment performance;
3. the Fund’s expenses and how those expenses compared to those of certain other similar exchange-traded funds;
4. the profitability of the investment adviser and its affiliates, including Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab), with respect to the Fund, including both direct and indirect benefits accruing to the investment adviser and its affiliates, as well as the profitability of Ariel; and
5. the extent to which economies of scale would be realized as the Fund grows and whether fee levels in the Agreements reflect those economies of scale for the benefit of Fund investors.
Nature, Extent and Quality of Services. The Board considered the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund and the resources of the investment adviser and its affiliates and Ariel dedicated to the Fund. In this regard, the Trustees evaluated, among other things, the investment adviser’s and Ariel’s experience, track record, compliance program, resources dedicated to hiring and retaining skilled personnel and specialized talent, and information security resources. The Trustees also considered information provided by the investment adviser and Ariel relating to services and support provided with respect to the Fund’s portfolio management team, portfolio strategy, and internal investment guidelines, as well as trading infrastructure, liquidity management, product design and analysis, shareholder communications, securities valuation, fund accounting and custody, and vendor and risk oversight. The Trustees also considered investments the investment adviser has made in its infrastructure, including modernizing the investment adviser’s
 
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technology and use of data, increasing expertise in key areas (including portfolio management and trade operations), and improving business continuity, cybersecurity, due diligence, risk management processes, and information security programs, which are designed to provide enhanced services to the Fund and its shareholders. The Trustees considered Schwab’s overall financial condition and its reputation as a full service brokerage firm, as well as the wide range of products, services and account features that benefit Fund shareholders who are brokerage clients of Schwab. Following such evaluation, the Board concluded, within the context of its full deliberations, that the nature, extent and quality of services provided by the investment adviser and Ariel to the Fund and the resources of the investment adviser and its affiliates and Ariel supported renewal of the Agreements with respect to the Fund.
Fund Performance. The Board considered that the Fund commenced operations on November 16, 2021 and therefore had less than one year of performance history available.
Fund Expenses. With respect to the Fund’s expenses, the Trustees considered the rate of compensation called for by the Agreements and the Fund’s operating expense ratio, in each case, in comparison to those of other similar exchange-traded funds, such peer category and comparison having been selected and calculated by an independent provider of investment company data. The investment adviser reported to the Board, and the Board took into account the risk assumed by the investment adviser in the development of the Fund and provision of services provided as well as the competitive marketplace for financial products. The Board evaluated the Fund’s unitary fee through review of comparative information with respect to fees paid by other similar exchange-traded funds. Following such evaluation, the Board concluded, within the context of its full deliberations, that the expenses of the Fund are reasonable and supported renewal of the Agreements with respect to the Fund.
Profitability. The Trustees considered the compensation flowing to the investment adviser and its affiliates and Ariel, directly or indirectly, and reviewed profitability on a pre-tax basis, without regard to distribution expenses. In this connection, the Trustees reviewed management’s profitability analyses. The Trustees also reviewed the profitability of the investment adviser relating to the Schwab fund complex as a whole, noting the benefits to Fund shareholders of being part of the Schwab fund complex, including the allocations of certain fixed costs across the Fund and other funds in the complex. The Trustees also considered any other benefits derived by the investment adviser and Ariel from their relationships with the Fund, such as whether, by virtue of their management of the Fund, the investment adviser or Ariel obtains investment information or other research resources that aid it in providing advisory services to other clients. With respect to the investment adviser and its affiliates and Ariel,
the Trustees considered whether the compensation and profitability with respect to the Fund under the Agreements and other service agreements were reasonable and justified in light of the quality of all services rendered to the Fund by the investment adviser and its affiliates and Ariel. The Trustees noted that the investment adviser continues to invest substantial sums in its business in order to provide enhanced services and systems to benefit the Fund. With respect to the profitability of Ariel, the Board also considered that Ariel is compensated by the investment adviser and not by the Fund directly, and such compensation reflects an arms-length negotiation between the investment adviser and Ariel. Based on this evaluation, the Board concluded, within the context of its full deliberations, that the profitability of the investment adviser and Ariel, is reasonable and supported renewal of the Agreements with respect to the Fund.
Economies of Scale. Although the Trustees recognized the difficulty of determining economies of scale with precision, the Trustees considered the potential existence of any economies of scale and whether those could be passed along to the Fund’s shareholders through (i) the enhancement of services provided to the Fund in return for fees paid, including through investments by the investment adviser in its infrastructure, including modernizing the investment adviser’s technology and use of data, increasing expertise and capabilities in key areas (including portfolio and trade operations), and improving business continuity, cybersecurity, due diligence and information security programs, which are designed to provide enhanced services to the Fund and its shareholders; and (ii) pricing the Fund to scale and keeping overall expenses down as the Fund grows. The Trustees acknowledged that the investment adviser’s internal costs of providing investment management, technology, administrative, legal and compliance services to the Fund may increase as a result of regulatory or other developments. Based on this evaluation, the Board concluded, within the context of its full deliberations, that the Fund may expect to obtain reasonable benefits from economies of scale.
In the course of their deliberations, the Trustees may have accorded different weights to various factors and did not identify any particular information or factor that was all important or controlling. Based on the Trustees’ deliberation and their evaluation of the information described above, the Board, including all of the Independent Trustees, approved the continuation of the Agreements with respect to the Fund and concluded that the compensation under the Agreements with respect to the Fund is fair and reasonable in light of the services provided and the related expenses borne by the investment adviser and its affiliates and such other matters as the Trustees considered to be relevant in the exercise of their reasonable judgment.
 
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Trustees and Officers
The tables below give information about the trustees and officers of Schwab Strategic Trust, which includes the funds covered in this report. The “Fund Complex” includes The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Investments, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust. The Fund Complex includes 105 funds.
The address for all trustees and officers is 211 Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. You can find more information about the trustees and officers in the Statement of Additional Information, which is available free by calling 1-877-824-5615.
Independent Trustees
Name, Year of Birth, and
Position(s) with the trust
(Terms of office, and
length of Time Served1) 		Principal Occupations
During the Past Five Years 		Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
the Trustee 		Other Directorships

Michael J. Beer
1961
Trustee
(Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2022) 		Retired. Director, President and Chief Executive Officer (Dec. 2016 – Sept. 2019), Principal Funds (investment management). 105 Director (2016 – 2019), Principal Funds, Inc.
Robert W. Burns
1959
Trustee
(Trustee of Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009; The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust since 2016) 		Retired/Private Investor. 105 None
Nancy F. Heller
1956
Trustee
(Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2018) 		Retired. 105 None
David L. Mahoney
1954
Trustee
(Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust since 2011; Schwab Strategic Trust since 2016) 		Private Investor. 105 Director (2004 – present), Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated
Director (2009 – 2021), Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Director (2003 – 2019), Symantec Corporation
Jane P. Moncreiff
1961
Trustee
(Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2019) 		Consultant (2018 – present), Fulham Advisers LLC (management consulting); Chief Investment Officer (2009 – 2017), CareGroup Healthcare System, Inc. (healthcare). 105 None
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Independent Trustees (continued)
Name, Year of Birth, and
Position(s) with the trust
(Terms of office, and
length of Time Served1) 		Principal Occupations
During the Past Five Years 		Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
the Trustee 		Other Directorships
Kiran M. Patel
1948
Trustee
(Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust since 2011; Schwab Strategic Trust since 2016) 		Retired. 105 Director (2008 – present), KLA-Tencor Corporation
Kimberly S. Patmore
1956
Trustee
(Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2016) 		Consultant (2008 – present), Patmore Management Consulting (management consulting). 105 None

J. Derek Penn
1957
Trustee
(Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2021) 		Head of Equity Sales and Trading (2006 – 2018), BNY Mellon (financial services). 105 None
    
Interested Trustees
Name, Year of Birth, and
Position(s) with the trust
(Terms of office, and
length of Time Served1) 		Principal Occupations
During the Past Five Years 		Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
the Trustee 		Other Directorships
Walter W. Bettinger II2
1960
Chairman and Trustee
(Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust and Schwab Annuity Portfolios since 2008; Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009; Laudus Trust since 2010) 		Co-Chairman of the Board (July 2022 – present), Director and Chief Executive Officer (Oct. 2008 – present) and President (Feb. 2007 – Oct. 2021), The Charles Schwab Corporation; President and Chief Executive Officer (Oct. 2008 – Oct. 2021) and Director (May 2008 – Oct. 2021), Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; Director (Apr. 2006 – present), Charles Schwab Bank, SSB; Director (Nov. 2017 – present), Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB; Director (July 2019 – present), Charles Schwab Trust Bank; Director (May 2008 – present), Chief Executive Officer (Aug. 2017 – present) and President (Aug. 2017 – Nov. 2021), Schwab Holdings, Inc.; Director (Oct. 2020 – present), TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation; Director (July 2016 – Oct. 2021), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. 105 Director (2008 – present), The Charles Schwab Corporation
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Interested Trustees (continued)
Name, Year of Birth, and
Position(s) with the trust
(Terms of office, and
length of Time Served1) 		Principal Occupations
During the Past Five Years 		Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
the Trustee 		Other Directorships
Richard A. Wurster2
1973
Trustee
(Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2022) 		President (Oct. 2021 – present) and Executive Vice President – Schwab Asset Management Solutions (Apr. 2019 – Oct. 2021), The Charles Schwab Corporation; President, Director (Oct. 2021 – present), Executive Vice President – Schwab Asset Management Solutions (July 2019 – Oct. 2021) and Senior Vice President – Advisory (May 2016 – July 2019), Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; President (Nov. 2021 – present), Schwab Holdings, Inc.; Director (Oct. 2021 – present) and Chief Executive Officer (Nov. 2019 – Jan. 2022), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Director, Chief Executive Officer and President (Mar. 2018 – present), Charles Schwab Investment Advisory, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer (July 2016 – Apr. 2018) and President (Mar. 2017 – Apr. 2018), ThomasPartners, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer (July 2016 – Apr. 2018), Windhaven Investment Management, Inc. 105 None
    
Officers of the Trust
Name, Year of Birth, and Position(s) with the trust
(Terms of office, and length of Time Served3) 		Principal Occupations During the Past Five Years
Jonathan de St. Paer
1973
President and Chief Executive Officer
(Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2018) 		Director (Apr. 2019 – present), President (Oct. 2018 – present), Chief Operating Officer (Jan. 2021 – present), and Chief Executive Officer (Apr. 2019 – Nov. 2019), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Senior Vice President (June 2020 – Mar. 2022) and Chief Operating Officer (Jan. 2021 – Mar. 2022), Charles Schwab Investment Advisory, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer (Apr. 2019 – present), President (Nov. 2018 – present) and Trustee (Apr. 2019 – Dec. 2020), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs; Director (Mar. 2019 – Apr. 2022), Charles Schwab Worldwide Funds plc and Charles Schwab Asset Management (Ireland) Limited; Managing Director (May 2022 – present), Senior Vice President (Apr. 2019 – May 2022) and Senior Vice President – Strategy and Product Development (CSIM) (Jan. 2014 – Mar. 2019), Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Mark Fischer
1970
Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer
(Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2013) 		Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (Jan. 2016 – present) and Chief Operating Officer (Dec. 2020 – present), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs; Chief Financial Officer (Mar. 2020 – present) and Vice President (Oct. 2013 – present), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Director (July 2020 – Apr. 2022), Charles Schwab Worldwide Funds plc and Charles Schwab Asset Management (Ireland) Limited.
Omar Aguilar
1970
Vice President and Chief Investment Officer
(Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2011) 		Chief Executive Officer (Jan. 2022 – present), Chief Investment Officer (Apr. 2011 – present) and Senior Vice President (Apr. 2011 – Dec. 2021), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (June 2011 – present), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs.
Brett Wander
1961
Vice President and Chief Investment Officer
(Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2011) 		Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (Apr. 2011 – present), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (June 2011 – present), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs.
William P. McMahon, Jr.
1972
Vice President and Chief Investment Officer
(Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2021) 		Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (Jan. 2020 – present), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (June 2021 – present), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs; Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer – ThomasPartners Strategies (Apr. 2018 – Dec. 2019), Charles Schwab Investment Advisory, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (May 2001 – Apr. 2018), ThomasPartners, Inc.
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Officers of the Trust (continued)
Name, Year of Birth, and Position(s) with the trust
(Terms of office, and length of Time Served3) 		Principal Occupations During the Past Five Years
Catherine MacGregor
1964
Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, Schwab Funds and Schwab ETFs
Chief Legal Officer, Vice President and Clerk, Laudus Trust
(Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust since 2005; Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009) 		Chief Legal Officer (Mar. 2022 – present) and Vice President (Sept. 2005 – present), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Managing Director (May 2022 – present) and Vice President (July 2005 – May 2022), Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; Vice President (Dec. 2005 – present) and Chief Legal Officer and Clerk (Mar. 2007 – present), Laudus Trust; Chief Legal Officer and Secretary (Oct. 2021 – present), Vice President (Nov. 2005 – Oct. 2021) and Assistant Secretary (June 2007 – Oct. 2021), Schwab Funds; Chief Legal Officer and Secretary (Oct. 2021 – present), Vice President and Assistant Secretary (Oct. 2009 – Oct. 2021), Schwab ETFs.
1 Each Trustee shall hold office until the election and qualification of his or her successor, or until he or she dies, resigns or is removed. The retirement policy requires that each independent trustee retire by December 31 of the year in which the Trustee turns 74 or the Trustee’s twentieth year of service as an independent trustee on any trust in the Fund Complex, whichever occurs first.
2 Mr. Bettinger and Mr. Wurster are Interested Trustees. Mr. Bettinger and Mr. Wurster are Interested Trustees because each owns stock of The Charles Schwab Corporation (CSC), the parent company of Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., the investment adviser for the trusts in the Fund Complex, and is an employee of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab), the principal underwriter for The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust.
3 The President, Treasurer and Secretary/Clerk hold office until their respective successors are chosen and qualified or until he or she sooner dies, resigns, is removed or becomes disqualified. Each of the other officers serves at the pleasure of the Board.
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Glossary
ask  See “offer.”
asset allocation  The practice of dividing a portfolio among different asset classes, with each asset class assigned a particular percentage to help offset risks and rewards, based on your goals, time horizon and risk tolerance.
asset class  A group of securities with similar structure and basic characteristics. Stocks, bonds and cash are the three main examples of asset classes.
authorized participant (AP)  A large institutional investor that places orders for creation units with the funds’ distributor.
beta  A historical measure of an investment’s volatility relative to a market index (usually the S&P 500®). The index is defined as having a beta of 1.00. Investments with a beta higher than 1.00 have been more volatile than the index; those with a beta of less than 1.00 have been less volatile.
bid  The highest price at which someone is willing to buy a security.
Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index  An index that is a broad-based benchmark measuring the performance of the U.S. investment grade, taxable bond market, including U.S. Treasuries, government-related and corporate bonds, mortgage pass-through securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and asset-backed securities that are publicly available for sale in the United States. To be eligible for inclusion in the index, securities must be fixed rate, non-convertible, U.S. dollar-denominated with at least $300 million or more of outstanding face value and have one or more years remaining to maturity. The index excludes certain types of securities, including tax-exempt state and local government series bonds, structured notes embedded with swaps or other special features, private placements, floating rate securities, inflation-linked bonds and Eurobonds. The index is market capitalization weighted and the securities in the index are updated on the last business day of each month.
Bloomberg US Treasury Bills 1–3 Month Index  An index that includes all publicly issued zero-coupon U.S. Treasury Bills that have a remaining maturity of less than 3 months but more than 1 month, are rated investment grade and have $300 million or more of outstanding face value. It excludes zero-coupon STRIPS.
cap, capitalization  See “market cap.”
capital gain, capital loss  The difference between the amount paid for an investment and its value at a later time. If the investment has been sold, the capital gain or loss is considered a realized gain or loss. If the investment is still held, the gain or loss is still “on paper” and is considered unrealized.
commencement of operations  The date that the first NAV was calculated.
creation unit (C.U.)  A basket of securities that is delivered by an authorized participant (AP) to the fund equal to the current holdings of the ETF, plus a designated cash component. In return, the APs receive a large block of ETF shares (typically 50,000 shares), which investors can then buy and sell in the secondary market.
dividend yield  A stock’s indicated annual dividend divided by current price. At the portfolio level, it is the value-weighted average of the dividend yield of the securities in the portfolio.
exchange  A marketplace, or any organization or group that provides or maintains a marketplace for trading securities, options, futures, or commodities.
expense ratio  The amount that is taken from the fund’s assets each year to cover the operating expenses. An expense ratio of 0.50% means that a fund’s expenses amount to half of one percent of its average net assets a year.
gross domestic product (GDP)  The output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States.
inception date  The date that the shares began trading in the secondary market.
indicative optimized portfolio value (IOPV)  A calculation disseminated by the stock exchange that approximates the fund’s NAV every 15 seconds throughout the trading day.
liquidity  The ability to convert a security or asset quickly into cash.
market cap, market capitalization  The value of a company as determined by the total value of all shares of its stock outstanding. Free-float market capitalization is a variation of market capitalization that only includes shares generally available to the public, and excludes shares of a company held by entities such as the government. Modified market capitalization weighting represents a mix between conventional market capitalization weighting and equal weighting.
market price return  The return based on the change in market price per share of the fund over a given time period. Market price returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the fund at market price.
median market cap  The midpoint of the range of market caps of the stocks held by a fund. There are different ways of calculating median market cap. With a simple median, half of the stocks in the fund’s portfolio would be larger than the median, and half would be smaller. With a weighted median (the type that is calculated for these funds), half of the fund’s assets are invested in stocks that are larger than the median market cap, and half in stocks that are smaller.
MSCI EAFE Index (Net)  A free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets in Europe, Australasia, and the Far East. The Net version of the index reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes, but reflects no deductions for expenses or other taxes; returns are calculated applying dividend withholding rates applicable to non-resident persons who do not benefit from double taxation treaties.
net asset value (NAV)  The value of one share of a fund. NAV is calculated by taking the fund’s total assets, subtracting liabilities, and dividing by the number of shares outstanding.
NAV return  The return based on the change in NAV of the fund over a given time period. NAV returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the fund.
offer (ask)  The lowest price at which an individual is willing to sell a security.
open  The price at which a security opened for trading on a given day.
outstanding shares, shares outstanding  When speaking of the fund, indicates all shares currently held by investors.
price-to-book ratio (P/B)  The market price of a company’s stock compared with its “book value.” A mutual fund’s P/B is the weighted average of the P/B of all stocks in the fund’s portfolio.
price-to-earnings ratio (P/E)  The market price of a company’s stock compared with earnings over the past year. A mutual fund’s P/E is the weighted average of the P/E of all stocks in the fund’s portfolio.
 
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primary market  The market that deals with the issuance of new securities.
rights and warrants  Rights and warrants are types of securities that entitle the holder to purchase a proportionate amount of common stock at a specified price for a specific period of time. Rights allow a shareholder to buy more shares directly from the company, usually at a price somewhat lower than the current market price of the outstanding shares. Warrants are usually issued with bonds and preferred stock. Rights and warrants can trade on the market separately from the company’s stock. The prices of rights and warrants do not necessarily move parallel to the prices of the underlying common stock. Rights usually expire within a few weeks of issuance, while warrants may not expire for several years. If a right or warrant is not exercised within the specified time period, it will become worthless and a fund will lose the purchase price it paid for the right or warrant and the right to purchase the underlying security.
Russell 1000 Index  An index that measures the performance of the 1,000 largest companies in the Russell 3000 Index, and represents approximately 92% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index. The Russell 3000 Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market.
Russell 2000 Index  An index that measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index. The Russell 3000 Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market.
Russell 2500 Index  An index that measures the performance of the small- to mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe, commonly referred to as “smid” cap. The Russell 2500 Index is a subset of the Russell 3000 Index. It includes approximately 2500 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current
index membership. The Russell 2500 Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for the small- to mid-cap segment. The index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true small to mid-cap opportunity set.
S&P 500 Index  An index that is designed to measure the performance of 500 leading publicly traded companies from a broad range of industries.
SEC yield  A standard yield calculation developed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that allows for fairer comparisons of bond funds. It is based on the most recent 30-day period covered by the fund’s filings with the SEC. The yield figure reflects the dividends and interest earned during the period, after the deduction of the fund’s expenses. This is also referred to as the “standardized yield.”
sampling  If a fund uses a sampling method, the fund will not fully replicate the benchmark index and may hold securities not included in the index. A fund that utilizes a sampling approach may not track the return of the index.
secondary market  The market in which investors purchase securities from other investors rather than directly from the issuing companies. Organized exchanges facilitate the trading of securities in the secondary market.
spread  The gap between bid and ask prices of a security.
stock  A share of ownership, or equity, in the issuing company.
total return  The percentage that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the fund assuming dividends and distributions were reinvested.
tracking error  The difference between the performance of the fund and its benchmark index, positive or negative.
 
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF  |  Semiannual Report

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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Schwab ETFs
Schwab ETFs are designed to serve as simple low-cost core investment products for a diversified portfolio. These ETFs seek to provide consistent, repeatable performance through a variety of investment strategies that span the equity and fixed income spectrum. The list below shows all currently available Schwab ETFs.
Investors should carefully consider information contained in the prospectus, or if available, the summary prospectus, including investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. Please call 1-877-824-5615 for a prospectus for any Schwab ETF. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest. This report must be preceded or accompanied by a current prospectus.
Proxy Voting Policies, Procedures and Results
A description of the proxy voting policies and procedures used to determine how to vote proxies on behalf of the funds is available without charge, upon request, by visiting the Schwab ETFs’ website at www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus, the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or by contacting Schwab ETFs at 1-877-824-5615.
Information regarding how a fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30 is available, without charge, by visiting the fund’s website at www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus or the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
    
    
Schwab ETFs
U.S. ETFs
Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF
Schwab 1000 Index® ETF
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF
Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF
Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
International ETFs
Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF
Schwab International Equity ETF
Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF
Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF
Fixed-Income ETFs
Schwab U.S. TIPS ETF
Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF
Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF
Schwab Long-Term U.S. Treasury ETF
Schwab U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF
Schwab 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETF
Schwab 5-10 Year Corporate Bond ETF
Schwab Municipal Bond ETF
Fundamental Index* ETFs
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental International Large Company Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company
Index ETF
Active, Semi-Transparent (Also Known As Non-Transparent) ETF
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Thematic ETFs
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF    

 
Investment Adviser
Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management
211 Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
Schwab ETFs
1-877-824-5615
© 2022 Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management. All rights reserved.
Printed on recycled paper.
    
* FUNDAMENTAL INDEX is a registered trademark of Research Affiliates LLC.
The Schwab Ariel ESG ETF is different from traditional ETFs. Traditional ETFs tell the public what assets they hold each day. This fund will not. This may create additional risks for your investment. For example:
• You may have to pay more money to trade the fund’s shares. This fund will provide less information to traders, who tend to charge more for trades when they have less information.
• The price you pay to buy fund shares on an exchange may not match the value of the fund’s portfolio. The same is true when you sell shares. These price differences may be greater for this fund compared to other ETFs because it provides less information to traders.
• These additional risks may be even greater in bad or uncertain market conditions.
• The ETF will publish on its website each day a “Proxy Portfolio” designed to help trading in shares of the ETF. While the Proxy Portfolio includes some of the ETF’s holdings, it is not the ETF’s actual portfolio.
The differences between this fund and other ETFs may also have advantages. By keeping certain information about the fund secret, this fund may face less risk that other traders can predict or copy its investment strategy. This may improve the fund’s performance. If other traders are able to copy or predict the fund’s investment strategy, however, this may hurt the fund’s performance.
For additional information regarding the unique attributes and risks of the fund, see Proxy Portfolio Risk, Premium/Discount Risk, Trading Halt Risk, Authorized Participant Concentration Risk, Tracking Error Risk and Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV in the Principal Risks and Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Overlap sections of the prospectus and/or the Statement of Additional Information. These risks are discussed on the next page.

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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Active semi-transparent ETFs operate differently from other exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Unlike other ETFs, an active semi-transparent ETF does not publicly disclose its entire portfolio composition each business day, which may affect the price at which shares of the ETF trade in the secondary market. Active semi-transparent ETFs have limited public trading history. There can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop, be maintained or operate as intended. There is a risk that the market price of an active semi-transparent ETF may vary significantly from the ETF’s net asset value and that its shares may trade at a wider bid/ask spread and, therefore, cost investors more to trade than shares of other ETFs. These risks are heightened during periods of market disruption or volatility.
Proxy Portfolio Risk: Unlike traditional ETFs, this fund does not disclose its portfolio holdings (Actual Portfolio) daily. The fund instead posts a Proxy Portfolio on its website each day. The Proxy Portfolio is designed to reflect the economic exposures and risk characteristics of the fund’s actual holdings on each trading day, but it is not the same as the fund’s Actual Portfolio. Although the Proxy Portfolio is intended to provide investors with enough information to allow for an effective arbitrage mechanism that will keep the market price of the Fund at or close to the underlying NAV per Share of the Fund, there is a risk (which may increase during periods of market disruption or volatility) that market prices will vary significantly from the underlying NAV of the fund. ETF trading on the basis of a published Proxy Portfolio may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, especially during periods of market disruption or volatility, and therefore may cost investors more to trade. Also, while the Fund seeks to benefit from keeping its portfolio information secret, market participants may attempt to use the Proxy Portfolio to identify a Fund’s trading strategy, which if successful, could result in such market participants engaging in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm the Fund and its shareholders.
Proxy Portfolio Construction: The Proxy Portfolio is designed to recreate the daily performance of the Actual Portfolio. This is achieved by performing a “Factor Model” analysis of the Actual Portfolio. The Factor Model is comprised of three sets of factors or analytical metrics: market-based factors, fundamental factors, and industry/sector factors. The fund uses a “Model Universe” to generate its Proxy Portfolio. The Model Universe is comprised of securities that the fund can purchase and will be a financial index or stated portfolio of securities from which fund investments will be selected. The results of the Factor Model analysis are then applied to the Model Universe. The Proxy Portfolio is then generated as a result of this Model Universe analysis with the Proxy Portfolio being a small sub-set of the Model Universe. The Factor Model is applied to both the Actual Portfolio and the Model Universe to construct the fund’s Proxy Portfolio that performs in a manner substantially identical to the performance of its Actual Portfolio. The Proxy Portfolio will only include investments the fund is permitted to hold. The fund’s SAI contains more information on the Proxy Portfolio and its construction.
Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Overlap Information regarding the contents of the Proxy Portfolio, and the percentage weight overlap between the holdings of the Proxy Portfolio and the fund’s Actual Portfolio holdings that formed the basis for its calculation of NAV at the end of the prior Business Day (the Portfolio Overlap), is available by visiting the fund’s website www.schwabassetmanagement.com.
Because environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies exclude some securities, ESG-focused products may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as products that do not use such strategies. Additionally, the criteria used to select companies for investment may result in investing in securities, industries or sectors that underperform the market as a whole.

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