July 2021

New preliminary federal data show a 3% decline in public K-12 enrollment nationwide. This figure is for 2020-21, compared to 2019-20. Declines were highest in the lower grades, especially among the youngest students:

• Pre-K and Kindergarten enrollments declined 13%.
• Grades 1-8 decreased 3%.
• High school grades (9-12) declined 0.4%.

Across the nation, some states hit harder than others

States had uneven rates of decline. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which released the data, notes:

Within states, the largest decreases were in Mississippi and Vermont (5 percent each), followed by Washington, New Mexico, Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Maine (each between 4 and 5 percent) (figure 1). Eighteen states had decreases of 3 percent or more; 29 states had decreases between 1 and 3 percent; and the District of Columbia, South Dakota, and Utah had changes of less than 1 percent.

The map below shows where enrollment downturns were most concentrated.

Map from the National Center for Education Statistics

Public enrollment declines do not tell the full story

North Carolina’s drop in public K-12 enrollment was just under 3%. However, as state data affirm, the decline in public enrollment was concentrated among district public schools.

Enrollment at NC public charter schools, on the other hand, increased at every grade level. The state’s charter schools added 9,000 students in 2020-21. As a result, public charter enrollment rose 7.7%.

Amendment defeated on a party line vote

Record of the motion and the vote

Taking action; next steps for H.R. 4502

A call to action

“None of the funds made available by this Act or any other Act may be awarded to a charter school that contracts with a for-profit entity to operate, oversee or manage the activities of the school.” (SEC. 314)

• Rep. Wilson (SC)
• Rep. Letlow (LA)
• Rep. Calvert (CA)
• Rep. Norman (SC)
• Rep. Owens (UT)
• Rep. McHenry (NC)
• Rep. LaMalfa (CA)
• Rep. Webster (FL)
• Rep. Lesko (AZ)
• Rep. Biggs (AZ)
• Rep. Cawthorn (NC)
• Rep. Timmons (SC)
• Rep. Moolenaar (MI)
• Rep. Huizenga (MI)
• Rep. Good (VA)
• Rep. Grothman (WI)
• Rep. Fitzgerald (WI)

Next steps for H.R. 4502

Contact information for Rep. Ross

Potential impacts for charters

“… singles out one type of public schools—charter schools—and threatens them with the loss of ALL of their federal funds if they contract with private companies for services. The language is so vague that merely contracting for food services or back-office payroll support could put their Title I, IDEA and school meals funding at risk.”

Language in H.R. 4502

A call to action

“None of the funds made available by this Act or any other Act may be awarded to a charter school that contracts with a for-profit entity to operate, oversee or manage the activities of the school.” (SEC. 314)

“It means that your school’s contracts—for lunch, buses, computers, cleaning, plumbing, curriculum, and just about everything else—could make you ineligible for federal funding from not just the Charter Schools Program, but also Title I, IDEA, and COVID-relief.

This language is a clear attack on our schools and our students and we must act now to ensure it does not pass.”

Learn more

• Read a blog post with more information about the bill from Kim McCabe, Senior Director of Communications at the Alliance.
• Read a statement from Nina Rees, President & CEO at the Alliance.

Next steps

State shifts in K-12 enrollment have been in the news quite a bit lately. Recent data show significant upticks in both NC public charter and homeschool enrollments for 2020-21. Private school data show a modest increase in enrollment. But what about the nation? What does enrollment look like over time–for public charter schools, specifically?

Since 2009, public charter enrollments have doubled

Federal data show a surge in charter popularity across the nation. Between Fall 2009 and Fall 2018, public charter enrollments doubled, from 1.6 million to 3.3 million students. Not surprisingly, this trend has impacted district public schools nationwide.

As the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) notes, “In contrast, the number of students attending traditional public schools decreased by 0.4 million between fall 2009 and fall 2018. As a result of these concurrent trends, the percentage of all public school students who attended public charter schools increased from 3 to 7 percent over this period.”

Mapping charter enrollment nationwide:

Map from the National Center for Education Statistics

The national average of public school students who attend charter schools is 7%.

NCES reports the states with high percentages of public charter students

In the following states, 10% or more of public school students attend charter schools.

• California
• Nevada
• Utah
• Colorado
• Arizona
• Louisiana
• Florida
• Michigan
• Delaware
• District of Columbia

The District of Columbia leads the nation, with 45% of public school students enrolled in charter schools. Next up: Arizona, where 18% of public school students attend public charter schools.

In this map, North Carolina sits right at the national average. However, the charter population in our state continues to increase, reaching 126,000 students in 200 schools in 2020-21.

Find a distribution of charter students in North Carolina (as a percentage of all public school students) here (for FY 2019). Scroll all the way down to find a state map for 2011-2012.

Access data and research from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

Summer chats highlight best practices

More and more parents are choosing non-traditional school options for their children. Data for 2020-21 show rising enrollments in N.C. charter, home, and private schools.

New statistics for 2020-21 reveal:

• Home school enrollments grew by nearly 31,000 students. This marks a 20.6% increase over the year before. (Find a statistical overview here.)
• Private school enrollments rose by almost 3,400 students. This marks a 3.3% uptick over the year before. (Find a statistical overview here.)

Meanwhile, public charter schools added 9,000 students in 2020-21. This represents a 7.7% increase, making public charter schools second only to home schools in enrollment growth.

Is the enrollment story being told clearly and fully? Coalition Executive Director Lindalyn Kakadelis shares some observations:

The recent News & Observer article, “Enrollment soars in N.C. home schools, private schools and charter schools amid pandemic,” tracks closely with enrollment trends in nonpublic education. However, the article doesn’t fully address enrollment shifts in public education, and in some cases, uses language that is needlessly confusing.

For example, the 9,000-student increase in N.C. public charter enrollment is positioned under a header with this wording: “Will students return to public schools?” Public charter schools are identified simply as “taxpayer funded schools.” This is unnecessarily confusing. Charter schools are public schools. They are funded by local, state, and federal taxpayer dollars, just like district public schools.

Here’s a more complete summary from the state’s latest annual charter report: During the 2020-21 school year, N.C. charter schools experienced growth at every grade level. Additionally, 78% of charter schools reported waitlists totaling nearly 76,000 students. This is markedly different from enrollment declines at district public schools.

The pandemic accelerated trends that were already underway. Families are flocking to nontraditional schooling options now in even greater numbers—in public and nonpublic sectors alike.

Congratulations, 2021 charter school graduates!

In recognition of graduates’ achievements, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools compiled stories from 16 seniors nationwide. Recently, the Alliance featured the stories through its #CharterGrads social media campaign. Check out the student stories here.

Highlighting a NC charter school graduate

One featured student, Madison Lawson, graduated from a North Carolina charter school. Madison attended Millenium Charter Academy in Mt. Airy, NC. Congratulations, Madison!

A recipient of the prestigious Goodnight Scholarship, Madison is headed to NC State University in the fall. She’ll be part of NC State’s horticulture program and hopes to pursue a career focusing on genetic engineering.

Madison attended Millenium Charter from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. In a video interview with the Alliance, Madison reflects on what stands out to her about attending a public charter school:

“Being in a charter school gives you a lot more freedom than being in a traditional public school would, because they’re able to do a little more than public school guidelines would allow.”

Watch the full video interview with Madison here.

Are you looking for simple resources to share about public charter schools? Misconceptions about charter schools abound! It’s helpful to have answers at the ready.

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has a number of resources you can share with those in your community. This can help you tell the story of charter schools and respond to common questions. This short video (less than two minutes long) provides a high-level description of charter schools.

Want more in-depth answers to questions? Find a FAQ document here, with answers to the most frequent questions people have about charter schools.

Finally, the Alliance has a short write-up on how charter schools are reimagining public education. You can find that here.