How many charter schools in the us

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Public education in the U. School choice in the U. School Crime and Safety. Related sites. Last Updated: May Download PDF. Select a subgroup: Show all available findings. Figure 1. Public charter school enrollment, by school level: Fall through fall Figure 2.

Percentage of all public school students enrolled in public charter schools, by state: Fall Rounds to zero. Figure 3. Figure 4. Percentage distribution of public charter schools, by enrollment size: School years —10 and — Related Indicators and Resources. Characteristics of Elementary and Secondary Schools. Private School Enrollment. Public School Enrollment.

Data Sources. Reference Tables. Table Glossary Terms. Previous Versions of This Indicator. Charter schools are meant to have open admission policies; any eligible public school student can attend a charter school. In practice, many charter schools have a lottery system for admission owing to their popularity, meaning that not all children can find their way into a charter school. In —17, about two-thirds of charter schools were stand-alone schools created and operated by groups or organizations such as groups of teachers, community groups, universities, foundations, businesses or faith-based groups.

These organizations can be nonprofit or for-profit. Charter schools are so named because they operate under the conditions of a legally binding contract called a charter. Charter school authorizers vary from state to state and even within states. For example, a charter may mandate a longer school year for students. It may exempt a school from having to hire certified teachers. In exchange for this flexibility, charter schools are held accountable to standards laid out in their charters.

If the school fails to meet the standards outlined in its charter, the charter is not renewed and the school is closed. For more information on closures, see the Governance and Regulation section.

Charter schools are classified as public schools by the U. Department of Education. They receive public money, offer a free education and are held to the same nondiscrimination standards as traditional public schools. However, charter schools have been extremely controversial in some communities. Critics have often argued that charter schools do not sufficiently account for the public money they receive, produce insufficient student performance data and are a threat to traditional public schools.

Charter schools were originally conceptualized by Ray Budde, a former teacher and principal, in