Education in New Orleans has undergone a radical transformation over the past decade, resulting in incredible progress for a school system that’s unlike any other, according to a new report from the Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives at Tulane University.

After Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans in August 2005, the state-run Recovery School District took over most of New Orleans’ schools, largely due to poor academic performance. The new system was meant to stress choice in education, allowing families to have a say in which school their children attend rather than having their children assigned to a school based on geography. Today, more than 90 percent of New Orleans students attend charter schools.