Charter School Facts

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"Focus on the Facts"

Click here for a PDF version of the Charter School "Focus on the Facts" sheet.

Charter schools are tuition-free, public schools that have the flexibility to be more innovative and are held accountable for student achievement. Below are more facts about Colorado's charter schools.

Charter schools are public schools.
Charter schools do not charge tuition.
Charter schools use non-discriminatory enrollment practices.
There are no "test-in" requirements to attend charter schools.
Currently, over 77,000 students attend the 174 charter school campuses in Colorado. This amounts to approximately 9.3% of total K-12 public school enrollment in the state.
Charter school students must take the CSAP.
Charter schools are subject to the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.
Charter school teachers must be "highly qualified" under NCLB.
Charter schools serve a broad range of diverse students, including low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, and students with disabilities or other special needs.
Colorado charter schools continue to attract a variety of students and are located in diverse geographical areas across the state.
Charter school programs and academic designs are as diverse as the students they enroll. Some charters implement longer school days, while others implement curricula specifically designed for at-risk students, gifted children, pregnant/parenting teens, juvenile offenders, and more.

Demographics
Statewide data regarding the nearly 72,000 students enrolled in charter schools in 2010-11, demonstrates diversity comparable to statewide data on traditional public schools. Currently:

42.8% of Colorado charter school students are minorities compared to
44.5% of the state's traditional K-12 public school students.

Colorado Charter School Demographics (2010-11):

57.7% are white (not Hispanic)
28.6% are Hispanic
6.7% are Black (not Hispanic)
3.6% are Asian or Pacific Islander
0.8% are Native American
2.6% are two or more ethnicities

Colorado Traditional Public School Demographics (2010-11):

56.8% are white (not Hispanic)
31.8% are Hispanic
4.6% are Black (not Hispanic)
3.1% are Asian or Pacific Islander
0.9% are Native American
2.8% are two or more ethnicities

Academic Performance
Evidence of the strong academic performance of charter schools is provided by both federal and state measures of student achievement:

In 2010, Colorado's charter schools outperformed the state's non-charters in the percentage of schools with strong enough academic performance to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Specifically,
- 83% of charter elementary schools made AYP, compared to 71% of non-charter elementary schools.
- 83% of charter middle schools made AYP, compared to 48% of non-charter middle schools.
- 46% of charter high schools made AYP, compared to 42% of non-charter high schools.

Charter School Funding
The academic success achieved by charter schools is especially impressive in light of the financial challenges they face:

On average, charter schools in Colorado spend $480 per student from designated per-pupil operating revenue on facilities costs.
School districts finance their facilities using property tax, mill levies, and taxpayer-backed bonds. Charter schools generally do not receive a proportionate share of these monies. As a result, money often comes out of the classroom to pay for buildings.