A new report released yesterday by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools shows North Carolina’s five-year charter enrollment growth is double the national average. Growth is driven largely by new Black and Hispanic students enrolling in the state’s public charter schools.
North Carolina trends mirror overall trends for the nation, which show public charter schools gaining students; public district schools, on the other hand, are losing students.
The Coalition sent out a press release highlighting report findings. As the release notes:
According to the Alliance report, enrollment in North Carolina charter schools increased 24.3% between 2019 and 2024, compared to 11.7% nationally. North Carolina district school enrollment fell by 3.2% over the same period.
For the past school year (2022-23 to 2023-24), North Carolina charter schools grew by 4.6% compared to just under 2.3% nationally. North Carolina district school enrollment fell by 0.35%.
Black and Hispanic students are largely driving the enrollment gains in North Carolina charter schools. Over the past five years, Black student enrollment grew by 23.8% and Hispanic student enrollment grew by 53.5%, compared to 11.3% for White students.
Lindalyn Kakadelis, the Coalition’s executive director, said this about report findings:
“Charter schools complement district schools by offering parents a choice in their public education. For some children, the local district school is a perfect fit. For others, the innovative options and teaching styles at a public charter school make more sense. Either way, our goal is to maximize the chances for each North Carolina student to reach his or her full potential.”
Learn more
- Read the full report from the Alliance.
- View a press release from the Alliance.
