The Growth of Charter Schools Continues

In figures released by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, there has been an abundance of growth among charter schools in U.S. cities, as 14 communities now boast of at least 20 percent enrollment in charters among public school students. There were just eight such communities four years ago.

There were a number of significant findings in the NAPCS’ annual “Top 10 Charter Communities,” including the fact that three cities have topped 30 percent enrollment.

New Orleans remains at No. 1 with an astounding 57 percent of its public students attending charter schools. And those students are the highest performing sector of public schools in the city as the Big Easy’s public schools are outperforming the pre-Katrina system.

Said NAPCS President Nelson Smith: “Charter schools are working at scale in a growing number of American cities. Chartering is becoming well-established as a key component of the public education delivery system.”

And the figures:

Most students enrolled in public charter schools
59,122 — Los Angeles, Calif.
43,035 — Detroit, Mich.
32,579 — Philadelphia, Pa.
29,889 — Houston, Texas
28,973 — Chicago, Ill.
25,729 — Washington, D.C.
23,865 — Miami-Dade Co., Fla.
21,367 — New York, N.Y.
20,068 — New Orleans, La.
19,867 — Broward Co., Fla.

Largest market share of students in public charter schools
57% — New Orleans, La.
36% — Washington, D.C.
32% — Detroit, Mich.
29% — Kansas City, Mo.
27% — Dayton, Ohio
26% — Youngstown, Ohio
25% — St. Louis, Mo.
24% — Flint, Mich.
23% — Gary, Ind.
22% — Phoenix, Ariz.; Minneapolis, Minn.