Parents are putting their kids in charter schools at a record rate, with one in five children bailing from traditional public schools for charters in 43 key cities, according to a new report.
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools said that the total population in charter schools is 2.7 million, or about 5 percent of the overall public school student body, and the latest sign that parents are eager to use the education alternative.
At least one in five students now attends a public charter school in 43 communities, up from 32 last year, according to an annual report provided to Secrets and titled “A Growing Movement: America’s Largest Charter School Communities.”
“This is a remarkable increase in the number and percentage of students attending public charter schools nationwide and that is a major success for the growth of the charter school movement,” said Nina Rees, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. “We now have 11 more communities enrolling at least 20 percent of their overall student population in public charter schools, up from seven last year.”
New Orleans is the leader, with 91 percent of children in charter schools. Detroit is second with 55 percent of children in the schools. Washington, D.C. is third at 44 percent.
The group also revealed that there are nearly 1 million students on charter school waiting lists.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
