Broken Promises - An Analysis of Charter School Closures From 1999-2017

Oct 15, 2026

Charter schools originated in the 1990s as an experimental alternative to public schools and have since grown into a large, largely market-oriented sector. Survival is framed as competition for students, yet public funding reduces operator risk, creating incentives that can end in school closure. The report delivers a first comprehensive examination of charter failure rates from 1999 to 2017 by tracking schools from opening through closure, measuring how long they last, and quantifying student displacement alongside geographic patterns.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages54

Reading Time2 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction

Overview of the Analysis

Findings by Cohort

Students Displaced by Closed Charters

Geographic Dispersion of Charter Closures

Conclusion

Needed Additional Research

Appendix A: Glossary

Appendix B: Methodology

Appendix C: Additional Data Tables

Endnotes

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks to the following: NPE Executive Director, Carol Burris who led the development of the report and is its co-author. Education policy researcher Ryan Pfleger, Ph. D., is a co-author who also analyzed the closure of charter schools using the Deparment of Education’s Common Core of Data (CCD), which served as the basis for the findings in this report. NPE Communications Director, DarcieCimarusti, who formatted all of the tables and graphics in the report, and is responsible for its layout and design. Cimarusti, along with NPE’s Grassroots Network Coordinator, MarlaKilfoyle assisted with research to determine the reasons charter schools close. We would also like to thank: Leigh Dingerson for her skilled and careful editing of the report, as well as her advice regarding structure and content. This report would not have been possible without the eﬀort and commitment of the Board of Directors ofthe Network for Public Education (NPE), with special thanks to Diane Ravitch, President of NPE. Diane generously gave her support, guidance and advice throughout the writing of this report. Finally, thank you to all of our generous donors who make our work in support of public education possible. This report was funded by the Lannan Foundation along with a matching grant from Play it Forward, a donor advised fund. No outside organization contributed to, reviewed or influenced the findings of this report. Broken Promises: An Analysis of Charter School Closures From 1999-2017 2 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Carol Burris is the Executive Director of the Network for Public Education. Carol served as principal of South Side High School in Rockville Centre, NY from 2000 to 2015. She received her doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2003. In 2010, she was recognized by the New York School Administrators Association as their Outstanding Educator of the Year, and in 2013 she was again recognized by NASSP as the New York State High School Principal of the Year. Carol has co-authored three books on educational equity, and served asa consultant on desegregation cases for the U.S. Department of Justice. Ryan Pfleger founded Ambitious Analytics Labs in 2018, drawing on his work with Harvard University’s Strategic Data Project and Newark Public Schools. He specializes in using research to illuminate and reduce social, economic, and educational inequities. Pfleger earned [a Ph.D. in](a Ph.D. in) Educational Foundations, Policy, and Practice from the University of Colorado, Boulder. The Network for Public Education (NPE) is an advocacy group whose mission is to preserve, promote, improve and strengthen public schools for both current and future generations of students. The goal of NPE is to connect all those who are passionate about our schools – students, parents, teachers and citizens. We share information and research on vital issues that concern the future of public education at a time when it is under attack. For more information, [please visit our website at](please visit our website at www. networkforpubliceducation.org)[ ](please visit our website at www. networkforpubliceducation.org)[www. networkforpubliceducation.org](please visit our website at www. networkforpubliceducation.org). Broken Promises: An Analysis of Charter School Closures From 1999-2017 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................... 5 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 8 OVERVIEW OF THE ANALYSIS ........................................................ 12 FINDINGS BY COHORT.................................................................. 14 STUDENTS DISPLACED BY CLOSED CHARTERS .................................. 21 GEOGRAPHIC DISPERSION OF CHARTER CLOSURES ........................... 24 CONCLUSION ............................................................................ 38 NEEDED ADDITIO

FAQs

What is the main purpose of this report?

The report examines charter failure rates over time from 1999 to 2017, tracking how long schools last after opening and measuring student displacement when closures occur.

How does the report study charter failure and closure?

It follows all charter schools from their opening year to determine when they close, enabling an analysis of failure rates over the study period.

What impacts does the report focus on when charter schools close?

It quantifies how many students are displaced by failing charter schools and also includes a geographic analysis of charter closure dispersion.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair