Archived Information

The racial/ethnic compoition of students in both charter schools and all public schools varies greatly by state. In most states, the racial/ethnic distribution of charter schools did not mirror the distribution in all public schools. Charter schools in approximately three-fifths of the charter states enrolled a higher percentage of nonwhite students than all public schools in those states. In slightly less than one-fifth of the charter states, charter schools enrolled a lower percentage of nonwhite students.

• In 1998–99, charter schools in 19 states enrolled an equal or greater percentage (by at least 5 percent) of nonwhite students than all public schools in those states (in 1997–98).

• In 14 states, the percentage of nonwhite students enrolled in charter schools was higher (by at least 5 percent) than the percentage of nonwhite students in all public schools. Charter schools in 6 of the 13 states that had 20 or more charter schools--Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Texas--enrolled at least 20 percent more nonwhite students than all public schools in those states.

• In six states, charter schools and all public schools served approximately the same percentage of nonwhite students (within 5 percent). Two of these states (Arizona and Colorado had more than 20 charter schools.

• Charter schools in four states enrolled fewer nonwhite students (by at least 5 percent) than all public schools in those states. In 2 of the 13 states that had more than 20 charter schools--California and Georgia--charter schools enrolled at least 10 percent fewer nonwhite students than all public schools in those states.

• For students of color, the distribution of black students in charter schools showed the greatest variation in comparison to all public schools. Charter schools in 15 states enrolled a higher percentage of black students (by at least 5 percent) than all public schools in those states. Charter schools enrolled lower percentages of black students (by at least 5 percent) than all public schools in three states.

Estimated Average of School Racial Percentages across Charter Schools and All Public Schools in States with more than 20 Charter Schools

Estimated Average of School Racial Percentages Across Charter Schools and All Public Schools

Note: These data are based on responses from 927 of the 975 open charter schools that responded to the survey. Of the 927 schools, 7 schools in 4 states (Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, and Rhode Island) are not displayed in the table because each state has 3 or fewer charter schools which provided information on racial/ethnic distribution and percentages are not meaningful. All schools in this chart have valid racial data; that is, schools where the number of students in the racial/ethnic categories was equal to the total student enrollment reported.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data Survey, 1997-98.

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C. Students of Charter Schools (Part 1)

C. Students of Charter Schools (Part 3)