The Effect of Charter Schools on Identification, Service Provision, and Achievement of Students with Disabilities - Published Technical Report - July 2025

Oct 15, 2026

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Students with disabilities (SWDs) represent a substantial share of charter students and require individualized supports. Charter schools may differ from traditional public schools in how SWDs and special education services are identified and delivered, since funding incentives could lead some charters to under-serve SWDs. Evidence on how charter enrollment shapes SWDs’ learning environments and outcomes remains limited. Using Michigan data and a heterogeneous difference-in-differences framework, the study estimates charter impacts by comparing entrants to non-entrants. Results show slightly higher identification of SWDs, comparable increases in assignments to special education programs, but reduced time in SWD-specific settings with later reversion. Despite these service changes, SWDs gain achievement and attendance at similar levels to non-SWDs after charter entry.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages97

Reading Time4 h 4 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

School choice and charter schools

Prior research on charter performance

Focus and gap in evidence for students with disabilities

The Effect of Charter Schools on Identification, Service Provision, and Achievement of Students with Disabilities Scott A . Imberman & Andrew Johnson Michigan State University & National Bureau of Economic Research Technical Report Published July 2025 The Effect of Charter Schools on Identification, Service Provision, and Achievement of Students with Disabilities Scott A. Imberman Michigan State University and NBER Andrew Johnson Michigan State University July 20, 2025 Acknowledgements and Disclaimer: This research result used data structured and maintained by the MERIMichigan Education Data Center (MEDC). MEDC data is modified for analysis purposes using rules governed by MEDC and are not identical to those data collected and maintained by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and/or Michigan’s Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI) . Results, information and opinions solely represent the analysis, information and opinions of the author(s) and are not endorsed by, or reflect the views or positions of, grantors, MDE and CEPI or any employee thereof. This research was conducted as part of the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH) funded by Institute for Education Sciences award R305C180025 . This research was also supported in part by a training grant from IES (R305B200009) . Opinions expressed do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education. Abstract Students with disabilities (SWDs) encompass a sizable share of charter students and have an array of individualized needs. Charter schools may operate differently than traditional public schools with respect to SWDs and special education (SPED), as funding incentives may induce charter schools to underserve SWDs. Nonetheless, there is little empirical evidence regarding how enrollment in charter schools affects SWDs’ educational environments and outcomes. We use data from Michigan to estimate charter impacts using a heterogeneous difference-indifferences model that compares students who enter charters to students who have not yet but will eventually enter charters. We find that charters are slightly more likely to identify students as SWDs after charter entry. While assignments to SPED programs increase comparably, there is a significant reduction and subsequent reversion in time spent in SPED-specific environmentsand services provided. Despite these changes, SWDs realize achievement and attendance gains after charter entry at similar levels to non-SWDs. JEL Codes: I21, I24 Keywords: Students with disabilities, special education, charter schools, school choice I. Introduction School choice reforms in the United States attempt to improve educational systems through market mechanisms theorized to foster competition among schools for students and funding. Charter schools, intra-district, and inter-district open enrollment policies offer examples of such reforms, enabling students to attend schools other than their district-assigned traditional public school (TPS) . Charter schools, our focus in this study, provide students with a free, public option that is run independently of the district. In exchange for such flexibility, states specify criteria that charter schools must achieve to maintain their educational charter. While enrollment is the market’s method to hold schools accountable, researchers evaluate schools via standardized measures, with academic performance at the fore. Several studies have examined how charters compare to TPS in terms of student performance (Angrist et al., 2013; Bifulco & Ladd, 2006; Chabrier et al., 2016; Clark et al., 2015; Cohodes et al., 2021; Dobbie & Fryer, 2015; Gleason et al., 2010; Imberman, 2011; Sass, 2006; Winters & Shanks, 2022). These studies generally find variation in performance, with some charter schools outperforming TPS, while others perform similarly or worse. Although the school choice literature is extensive, students with d

FAQs

How does the study estimate the effect of charter schools on students with disabilities?

It uses Michigan data with a heterogeneous difference-in-differences model comparing students who enter charter schools to those who have not yet entered but will eventually enter.

What changes occur after charter entry for the identification and special education services of students with disabilities?

Charters slightly increase the likelihood of identifying students as SWDs. Assignments to special education programs rise similarly, while time spent in special-education-specific environments and services decreases and then reverts.

Do students with disabilities see academic and attendance benefits after entering charter schools?

Yes. After charter entry, SWDs realize achievement and attendance gains at similar levels to non-SWDs.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang