The state Board of Education received a presentation Wednesday on North Carolina's charter schools. The annual report is chock full of statistics that show a growing sector in North Carolina's K-12 education landscape that is also facing some challenges to further growth.
Here are eight takeaways:
1. Charter school enrollment has grown to more than 10% of the total public school population.
North Carolina was the fourth fastest-growing state for charter enrollment over the past six years, behind only Texas, Florida, and California. In the past school year, 161,057 North Carolina students were enrolled in charter schools. That represents 10.5% of the total public school membership, counting students at district schools and charters.
2. The number of charter schools leveled off in recent years, but is set to grow again.
After the North Carolina General Assembly lifted the cap on the number of charter schools in the state in 2011, their numbers quickly rose. The number of charter schools in North Carolina has doubled since then, reaching 200 schools in 2020. That number has hovered around 210 schools in the past few years, as some charter schools open and others close. The state has approved five more schools to open this fall.
3. Charter schools have more than 59,000 students on their wait lists.
The number of waitlisted students is self-reported by each charter school. The director of the Office of Charter Schools, Ashley Logue, clarified that this total could include duplicates of students who are on multiple schools' waitlists.
4. Charter schools make up a large share of the K-12 public school population in many rural counties.
While charter school enrollment is highest in urban counties, charter schools are taking up a large market share in some rural counties, especially in northeastern North Carolina. This chart shows the number of charter school students as a percentage of total students in a district.
5. Charter schools are becoming more diverse, but they still have fewer students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, and English language learners than traditional public schools.
Charter schools have made gains over the past decade in racial diversity and in representation of students who are economically disadvantaged or have disabilities.
A federal grant that has now ended incentivized North Carolina charter schools to remove barriers for disadvantaged students and implement weighted lotteries for admission. Logue said the effects of that grant have continued. The gap in students who are economically disadvantaged has narrowed between traditional public schools and charter schools, although it is still higher in school districts.
6. Nearly a third of approved charter schools have either closed or terminated their charters before opening.
Ninety-six charter schools have closed. Of those, 23 relinquished their charter without ever opening, sometimes due to issues with low enrollment or difficulty securing a school building. State education officials have revoked the charters of 24 schools, mostly for financial reasons, and closed 16 schools during their charter renewal process, mostly for academic reasons.
7. Charter school leaders' top concern is the cost to acquire and maintain a school building.
The Office of Charter Schools sent a survey to charter school leaders asking them to name their top three concerns, and the most common response was the financial challenge of acquiring and maintaining a school building.
Many cited concerns about limited funding to maintain aging buildings, because charter schools are not eligible for local facility funds like traditional schools. This has also been a barrier for many prospective charter schools, who may withdraw applications if they're not able to find a suitable location quickly.
8. Remote charter academies are growing.
The number of remote charter academies that offer fully virtual instruction are growing. These schools are not required to have physical school buildings, yet they receive the same state funds as brick and mortar schools. Last school year, 10 remote charter academies were in operation, while 19 are planning to operate during the coming school year.
