The contributions of charter schools in Colorado are clearly impressive. They lead the state in academic performance and innovation, and they provide important competition that encourages all of our public schools to improve. Charter schools respond to the needs of our children, the desires of parents, and break through the bureaucratic excuses too many of our teachers and school principals run into every day.
 Charter schools are free, public schools of choice
Currently, there are 56,458 students attending the 141 charter schools in Colorado. This amounts to 7.03% of K-12 public school enrollment in Colorado.
Charter schools spend, on average, 15% of their per pupil operating dollars to pay for their facilities. School districts finance their facilities using property tax, mill levies and taxypayer-backed bonds. Charter schools do not receive a proportionate share of these monies. As a result, money comes out of the charter school classroom to pay for buildings. Evidence of the strong academic performance of charter schools is provided by both federal and state and measures of student achievement. Charter schools lead our state in academic achievement. When we consider the federal measure of Adequate Yearly Progress (or AYP), 85 percent of charter schools had strong enough academic performance to make AYP, while 75 percent of non-charters made AYP.
When we consider our even tougher state expectations, a higher percentage of charter schools are rated excellent or high than non-charter public schools according to Colorado’s School Accountability Reports or SARs.
Overall, 48% of charters were rated excellent or high by CDE in 2006, while 42% of non-charter public schools received that rating. The evidence is even more compelling for middle schools, which serve students at such a challenging age: 55% of charters were rated excellent or high compared to 41% of non-charters.
Public charter school students must take the CSAP. Public charter schools are subject to the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act
Public charter school teachers must be “highly qualified” under NCLB
Public charter schools serve a broad diversity of students including low-income, ethnic minorities and students with disabilities or other special needs
According to the Colorado Department of Education, statewide data regarding the 52,000 students currently enrolled in charter schools demonstrates diversity comparable to statewide data on traditional public schools:
- 62.3% white (not Hispanic)
- 24.2 % Hispanic
- 8.9% Black (not Hispanic)
- 3.5% Asian or Pacific Islander
- 1.2% American Indian or Alaskan Native
Forty-seven school districts have approved charter schools, including 3 online charter schools
There is demand for more charter schools. Over 25,000 students are on waitlists to enter charter schools
A 2003 survey of Colorado voters found that Coloradoans overwhelmingly support public school choice (83%), but less than half of the respondents were able to pass a ‘true-false’ quiz about charter schools indicating that most Coloradoans have some misconceptions about charter schools.
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