[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-585753-105":59,"doc-detail-585753-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","do-we-need-more-charter-schools","Do We Need More Charter Schools?","","Enrollment in U.S. charter schools declined in multiple states between 2021 and 2022, including substantial drops in states such as Oklahoma, California, and Pennsylvania. Using 2020–2021 figures from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools as a baseline, the analysis compares state-level enrollment data and finds the decline follows the earlier pandemic-driven pattern. The report argues that claims about large charter waitlists are unverifiable, that duplicates reduce waitlist counts dramatically, and that vacancy rates can exceed waitlist numbers, questioning the rationale for opening additional charter schools.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/do-we-need-more-charter-schools/585753/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/do-we-need-more-charter-schools/585753.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Riley West","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-10","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":81},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"How did charter school enrollment change from 2021 to 2022?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"In 41 states plus Washington, published enrollment numbers show charter enrollment declined in sixteen states and stalled in six others. Overall, enrollment dropped by more than 20,000 students across those states and D.C.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Why does the report argue the decline is linked to pandemic-era online charters?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It contrasts the earlier claim that pandemic conditions increased enrollment via online charters with the current results, stating that the pattern of decline shows that earlier explanation was correct.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What concerns does the report raise about using waitlists to justify opening new charter schools?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It argues the NAPCS waitlists are not verifiable and that local waitlists shrink after removing duplicates and long-unremoved students. It also highlights cases like Texas where vacancy rates exceed waitlists, suggesting some charters may be under-enrolling or that demand is weak.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},585753,1793120788,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":81,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":29,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},1099523885074,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_9964176cb1d06d4a9deccf72a44ae3dc","Demand for charter schools is declining.  \nIn sixteen of the forty-one states that have published 2021-2022 enrollment numbers, charter school enrollment has dropped, in some cases, by substantial amounts. In an additional six states, charter enrollment has stalled with increases of fewer than 200 students in charter schools across the state.  \nUsing the 2020-2021 charter enrollment numbers provided by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) as the comparison year, we obtained 2021-2022 charter enrollment data for each state. Data were available, from each state’s education department websites, publications or via email or phone contact, for 41 of the 43 states operating charter schools and the District of Columbia. Two states, Tennessee and Washington, were not included because they have not publicly released enrollment data as yet.  \nLast year we argued that the pandemic caused the enrollment increases, with parents primarily flocking to online charters. This year’s decline shows this was clearly the case. Overall, charter school enrollment declined by more than 20,000 students in those 41 states and D.C. While the overall decline is modest, it is the first time since 2005 that there has been an enrollment decline at all. Whether this decline is due to the re-opening of neighborhood schools, competition from voucher schools, or simply dissatisfaction with their child’s charter school, some parents are now “voting with their feet” out the door of charter schools, deciding that a charter school was not the best option after all.  \nThe most dramatic decline in charter enrollment was in Oklahoma, where enrollment dropped 27% --from 81,739 students to 59,755. According to news reports, most of the exit came from Oklahoma’s massive for-profit online charter school, EPIC.  \nCalifornia, the state with the largest number of charter schools in the United States, saw charter enrollment drop by 12,600 students. Pennsylvania saw a drop of 5,620 students. Using the NAPCS numbers for comparison, Georgia lost 24,250 students from its charter schools. However, we believe that last year’s NAPCS’ numbers were wildly inflated and that this year’s decline is likely somewhat less.  \nBoth Ohio and Oregon saw their charter school enrollment drop with respective declines of 3,628 and 3,738 students. In the case of Oregon, that number represents an over 8% drop in enrollment.  \nIn those states that experienced increases, most increases were modest, with a few notable exceptions. Florida charter enrollment increased by 20,013 students, North Carolina enrollment increased by 8,522, and Nevada enrollment went up by 4,898 . What all three states have in common is a growing for-profit-run charter sector. Over half of the charter schools in Nevada are run by the Florida for-profit charter chain Academica. Overall, charter school students in Nevada are far whiterand wealthier than the students in the area they pull from.  \nBelow is a chart that provides the 2020-2021 enrollment numbers provided by NAPCS in their summer report alongside the fall 2021-2022 enrollment numbers that we obtained. The 2020 number for Kansas, which NCPS excluded, was obtained from the National Center for Education Statistics database.  \n2  \n3  \nThis table is replicated here with the sources for the 2021-2022 enrollment data.  \nDo We Need More Charter Schools?  \nDespite the decline in enrollment, there is continuing pressure to open new charter schools. A casein point is the state of Georgia. Even as charter enrollment has fallen from the last school year to the present, six new schools have opened since 2020. Those openings occurred, even though the prepandemic year (2019-2020) had also shown a decline.  \nBut what about the one million students on waitlists that charter lobbyists claim as fact? No one outside of that trade organization has seen or verified the NAPCS waitlists, and when one examines local waitlists, they find that the lists shrink after removing dup","cbCaicFSYSXL4vhA","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicFSYSXL4vhA","pdf",953706,"English","# Enrollment decline across states\n## States with drops and stalled growth\n## Dramatic losses and modest increases\n# Interpreting waitlists and vacancy claims\n## Duplicate removal and shrinking lists\n## Texas and the vacancy rate question\n# Case example: New York City lottery schools\n## Why waitlists alone do not justify expansion\n# Pressure to open more charter schools\n## Georgia’s continued openings despite declines","[{\"question\":\"How did charter school enrollment change from 2021 to 2022?\",\"answer\":\"In 41 states plus Washington, published enrollment numbers show charter enrollment declined in sixteen states and stalled in six others. Overall, enrollment dropped by more than 20,000 students across those states and D.C.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the report argue the decline is linked to pandemic-era online charters?\",\"answer\":\"It contrasts the earlier claim that pandemic conditions increased enrollment via online charters with the current results, stating that the pattern of decline shows that earlier explanation was correct.\"},{\"question\":\"What concerns does the report raise about using waitlists to justify opening new charter schools?\",\"answer\":\"It argues the NAPCS waitlists are not verifiable and that local waitlists shrink after removing duplicates and long-unremoved students. It also highlights cases like Texas where vacancy rates exceed waitlists, suggesting some charters may be under-enrolling or that demand is weak.\"}]","Do We Need More Charter Schools? | PDF",1792055757,15]