PART I: DECLINE - Preface - Introduction - Enrollment Stagnation and Geographic Retrenchment

Oct 15, 2026

Charter School Reckoning: Decline examines how the charter school movement has shifted from its early promise of small, teacher-led experimentation to a sector facing slowdown, closures, and rising controversy. The text traces the disillusionment that followed initial support, including warnings about weak oversight and privatization capture. It highlights 2025 closures, reduced new openings, and federal program spending without meaningful growth, raising questions about market saturation and reform for public benefit.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

Introduction

Growth and Decline

Enrollment Stagnation and Geographic Retrenchment

The Myth of the One Million Student Waiting List

Conclusion

Methodology

PART I: DECLINE PREFACE TABLE OF CONTENTS n 1992, City Academy—the nation’s first Icharter school opened in St. Paul, Minne sota. Created and led by experienced teachers, it was designed as an alternative school for students struggling in traditional settings. With just 53 students, City Academy embodied the original vision for charter schools: small, teacher-run schools within public districts that tested innovative strategies to reach hard-to-teach kids. When successful, those strategies would inform and strengthen public education as a whole. That was the idea supported by American Federation of Teachers President Al Shanker in 1988. But by the early 1990s, Shanker had become Introduction Growth and Decline Enrollment Stagnation and Geographic Retrenchment The Myth of the One Million Student Waiting List Conclusion Methodology P. 1 P. 3 P. 5 P. 7 P. 13 P. 14 disillusioned. As his wife Edith later explained,“Al became increasingly critical of charter schools as they moved further from their original intent. He warned that without well-crafted legislation and public oversight, business interests would hijack the charter school concept,‘whose real aim is to smash public schools.’” His warning proved prophetic. In the decades since, real estate investors, for-profit management companies, and corporate charter chains have taken over what began as teacher-led experiments. Today, more than 50 charter trade associations—some state-based, others national—lobby aggressively to block charter school oversight and resist any legislative reform. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools reported over $26.5 million in income in 2023, with more than $28 million in assets. The California Charter Schools Association reported nearly $13 million in revenue that same year. These organizations are not only advocates but powerful lobbyists, intent on protecting all existing charters and promoting unlimited growth. During the Obama years, federal initiatives like Race to the Top fueled charter expansion with strong bipartisan support. But that coalition has since unraveled. While Republican enthusiasm for any alternative to public education—charters, vouchers, homeschools—has surged, Democratic support has eroded, particularly as concerns grow over transparency, equity, and privatization. Today, the charter sector stands at a reckoning point. Growth has slowed. For-profit models are expanding. The push to create religious charter schools has fractured the movement from within. Meanwhile, charters are now competing not just with public schools and each other, but with a growing network of voucher-funded private schools and publicly subsidized homeschools. This report, released in three parts—Decline, Disillusionment, and Cost—examines the trajectory of the charter school movement. It contrasts the promise of its early days with its complex, often troubling, reality today. As the charter experiment enters its fourth decade, the question is no longer what charter schools were meant to be—but whether they can still be reformed in order to serve the public good. The National Center for Charter School Accountability is a project of the Network for Public Education, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and improving public education. PART ONE: DECLINE INTRODUCTION In the first half of 2025, 50 charter schools announced plans to shut down. Some would close immediately, while others would remain open through the end of the school year. These closures added to those that occurred without warning during the fall. Apprentice Academy in North Carolina shuttered abruptly over Labor Day weekend, just days into the school year. In Minnesota, Loveworks closed on September 6. Ohio’s Victory Charter School gave families only two weeks’ notice. In Texas, Mount Carmel Academy announced in November it would close the following month. These four are not isolated incidents—they ar

FAQs

What overall trend does the report describe for charter schools?

The report describes a shift from rapid growth to decline, with increasing closures and slower openings, alongside concerns about privatization and weakened oversight.

Why does the report criticize the Federal Charter Schools Program (CSP)?

It argues that although CSP funding expanded substantially, it did not produce meaningful growth and instead enabled misuse of public funds through inaccurate or unverified claims.

What question does the report raise as the charter experiment reaches its fourth decade?

It asks whether charter schools can still be reformed to serve the public good, rather than assuming the original mission can be sustained without change.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Taylor Morgan