Charter School Student Population Tops 2.5 Million

According Education Week, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools found that about 600 new charter schools opened in the 2013-14 school year. Nationwide, about 6,400 charter schools are serving 2.5 million students, with the schools growing seven percent last year.

Nina Rees, President of NAPCS

"This is the largest increase in the number of students attending charter schools we've seen since tracking enrollment growth," said Nina Rees, National Alliance president and CEO.

About 200 charter schools closed due to financial reasons, low enrollment, or poor academic performance. "The goal of the charter school movement is not simply to increase the number of schools and students enrolled, but rather the number of high-quality public school options for families who need them most. These closures reflect that and we will continue to advocate for strong accountability measures to ensure that only high-quality schools are allowed to serve our nation’s students,” Rees said.

California, Arizona, and Florida led the country with the largest number of new charter schools. California, Arizona and Texas led with the greatest number of new students. California also topped the list for the highest number of school closures. (Source: NAPCS Charter News Daily)