Public Charter Schools
NATIONAL OVERVIEW
About the National Alliance
- We are the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement.
- Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement for all students by fostering a strong charter sector.
What we do
- Federal Policy and Advocacy – Our federal policy and advocacy arm focuses on fueling the growth of highquality public charter schools by advocating for more "start-up" funds and keeping erroneous federal rules from impacting charter autonomy.
- State Advocacy and Support – Our state advocacy and support work focuses on enacting charter school laws and improving the regulatory climate in which charter schools can grow.
- Communications and Research – We work with the media and public to disseminate accurate, timely information about public charter schools. We are the nation's largest clearinghouse for data on the charter sector.
- Legal Advocacy – We provide support to charter attorneys across the country as they advocate for and defend charter schools.
About public charter schools
- There are more than 6,700 public charter schools, serving nearly 3 million students.
- In the 2014- 2015 school year, 491 new charter schools opened, and 216 schools closed.
- 348,000 additional students are attending charter schools this year, as compared to last year.
- Charter schools can operate in 43 states and D.C.; Alabama is the newest state.
- Nearly 7 percent of all public schools are charter schools.
Number of charter schools is growing rapidly Families are turning to charter schools for high-quality options
Families are turning to charter schools for high-quality options
Charter school market share and demand
- Arizona is the state with the highest percentage of public school students attending charter schools (17%).
- California has 513,300 students enrolled in charter schools, the highest number of any state.
- In New Orleans, 91% of public school students attend charter schools.
- In 43 districts, charter schools enroll 20% or more of public school students.
- Nearly 150 school districts have 10% or more students enrolled in charter schools.
- More than 1 million names are on charter school waitlists nationwide.
Cities with significant charter presence
In nine school districts, charter schools enroll more than 30 percent of all public school students.
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