A national workshop for charter school investors this year is focused intensively on charter growth. The two-day workshop, taking place yesterday and today in Chicago, Illinois, is sponsored by the Ziegler Group. The event brings charter school investors together with charter industry experts.
Charter schools represent a strong, viable investment, industry experts affirm. In fact, demand is driving rising charter enrollment. In addition to looking at charter growth, this year’s event is also evaluating financial, legal, and political issues impacting the charter movement.
Headlining the charter growth portion of the agenda: A “deep dive” on North Carolina and Florida, two states with strong charter movements. Both are top 10 states for charter enrollment, according to recent data from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Coalition leaders participate in panel addressing N.C.’s charter landscape
Yesterday, Lindalyn Kakadelis, the executive director of the Coalition, and Gregg Sinders, a Coalition Board member, spoke as part of the North Carolina panel. Michelle Vruwink, a charter leader and founder, and Scott Rolfs, a managing director at Ziegler, also participated in the panel discussion.

Expert Panel, “North Carolina Charter Schools: 2022 Political, Legal & Financial Update,” July 13, 2022. Panelists (left to right): Gregg Sinders, Coalition Board member and Director of Business Development and Government Relations, Charter One; Michelle Vruwink, Founder and Executive Director, The Franklin School of Innovation; Lindalyn Kakadelis, Coalition Executive Director; and Scott Rolfs, Managing Director and Group Head, Ziegler.
Charter schools occupy increasing market share in K-12 education
What’s important to know about North Carolina’s charter school sector? First, the state’s charter movement is experiencing steady and consistent growth. Enrollment trends show charter schools occupying increasing market share in K-12 education. Moreover, even though parental demand for charter schools has been at high levels, it shows no signs of waning.

Source: “North Carolina Charter Schools: 2022 Political, Legal & Financial Update,” 2022 National Charter School Investor Workshop. Data from: National Center for Education Statistics and National Association for Public Charter Schools.
- For another blog post about overall K-12 enrollment shifts in North Carolina, click here.
What else? Demand for charter schools continues to outpace supply. Among North Carolina charter schools, 73% reported waitlists of students hoping to enroll for the current year. Waitlists totaled more than 60,000 students, according to the state’s annual charter report.
In addition, North Carolina charter schools have a strong track record for sound financial and operational management. In 2020-21, 96% of the state’s charter schools met or exceeded all of the state’s financial and operational goals. Such goals are outlined by the North Carolina State Board of Education in its Performance Framework for charters.

“North Carolina Charter Schools: 2022 Political, Legal & Financial Update.”
Graph from: 2021 Annual Charter Schools Report. (Bottom table represents operational compliance.)
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