Measuring the Impact of Charter Schools - Student Outcomes in 2023–24

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang

Analyzing student outcomes for charter school students and comparable peers in the 2023–24 period, the report quantifies impacts on academic performance using a nearest-neighbor matching framework with Mahalanobis distance. It details study design, data sources, sample and test characteristics, and provides balance tests to assess comparability of matched groups. Results summarize overall effects, grade-level impacts, and probabilities of meeting standards, followed by subgroup analysis, interpretation of effect sizes, and limitations to guide cautious use of findings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages39

Reading Time1 h 38 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Key Findings

Implications

Introduction

Academic Performance of Charter School Students and Similar Students

Methods

Study Design (Nearest Neighbor, Mahalanobis)

Limitations of the Analysis

Data

Data Sources

Sample Description

Student Characteristics

Test Characteristics

Matching

Process for Constructing Matched Samples

Impact Model

Balance Tests and Comparability of Groups

Results

Overall Effects on Student Achievement

Grade Level Effects

Probability of Meeting Standards

Subgroup Analysis

Discussion

Interpretation of Effect Sizes

Caveats and Caution in Interpretation

Conclusion

Glossary

Appendix A: Balance Tables and Summary Statistics

Appendix B: Additional Outcome Tables

References

Measuring the Impact of Charter Schools: Student Outcomes in 2023–24 Ian Mikkelsen October 2025 Table of Contents Acknowledgements.........................................................................................................................................................3 Preface ...........................................................................................................................................................................4 Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................................................5 Key Findings ...............................................................................................................................................................5 Implications ...............................................................................................................................................................7 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................8 Academic Performance of Charter School Students and Similar Students ...................................................................8 Methods .........................................................................................................................................................................8 Study Design (Nearest Neighbor, Mahalanobis) ...........................................................................................................8 Limitations of the Analysis ..........................................................................................................................................9 Data ................................................................................................................................................................................9 Data Sources ..............................................................................................................................................................9 Sample Description .................................................................................................................................................. 10 Student Characteristics ............................................................................................................................................ 10 Test Characteristics .................................................................................................................................................. 11 Matching ....................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Process for Constructing Matched Samples .............................................................................................................. 11 Impact Model ........................................................................................................................................................... 12 Balance Tests and Comparability of Groups .............................................................................................................. 13 Results ......................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Overall Effects on Student Achievement ................................................................................................................... 14 Grade Level Effects ................................................................................................................................................... 15 Probability of Meeting Standards ............................................................................

FAQs

What approach does the report use to estimate the impact of charter schools?

It uses a nearest-neighbor matching study design with Mahalanobis distance, constructing matched samples and estimating an impact model based on comparability of groups.

How does the report check whether matched groups are comparable?

It includes balance tests and comparability assessments for the matched samples to evaluate group similarity before interpreting outcome differences.

What types of results does the report present for the 2023–24 period?

The report summarizes overall effects on student achievement, grade-level effects, probabilities of meeting standards, and subgroup analysis to show where impacts differ.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang