Archived Information
A National Study of Charter Schools - July 1998
Schools that opened during the 1996-97 school year were more likely to be newly created than the schools that opened in earlier years--an estimated 68 percent of schools opening in 1996-97 were newly created, compared to 53 percent of schools that opened in the 1994-95 school year or earlier and 63 percent of schools that opened in the 1995-96 school year (see Exhibit 3-6).
EXHIBIT 3-5
ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE OF NEWLY CREATED AND PRE-EXISTING CHARTER SCHOOLS (1996-97)[1]
1 This figure relies on data from 381 charter schools.
EXHIBIT 3-6
ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE OF NEWLY CREATED AND PRE-EXISTING CHARTER SCHOOLS BY YEAR OF SCHOOL OPENING (1996-97)[1]
|
Newly created |
Pre-existing public |
Pre-existing private |
# of charter schools in sample |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Opened 1994-95 or earlier |
53.1% |
42.9% |
4.1% |
98 |
|
Opened 1995-96 |
63.0% |
21.0% |
15.9% |
138 |
|
Opened 1996-97 |
67.6% |
15.2% |
17.2% |
145 |
|
# of charters schools in sample |
237 |
93 |
51 |
381 |
| % of charter schools in sample |
62.2% |
24.4% |
13.4% |
1 This figure relies on data from 381 charter schools.
Changes over Time in Charter Type by State. The proportion of newly created and pre-existing schools in a state is partly determined by the terms of the charter legislation. Of the 16 charter states, two states (Georgia and New Mexico) only allow the conversion of pre-existing public schools to charter status.[9] Ten of the sixteen charter states (Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) allow the conversation of pre-existing public schools and newly created schools. The remaining three states (Arizona, Michigan, and Texas) and the District of Columbia allow the conversion of both pre-existing public and pre-existing private schools and also allow newly created schools.
All schools in our sample that opened during the 1996-97 school year in five states (Alaska, Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, and Minnesota) were newly created schools. Schools opening during or before the 1994-95 school year were more likely to have converted from public schools (43 percent) than those schools that opened in later years (22 percent during the 1995-96 school year and 15 percent during the 1996-97 school year).
Of the 144 pre-existing charter schools in our sample, more than one-third (49 schools) were private schools before they converted to charter status. Two states had the majority of private schools that converted to charter status: Arizona had 21 previously private schools while Michigan had 20 previously private charter schools. Although California has the largest number of pre-existing schools and represents 32 percent of all conversion schools, California legislation prohibits private-school conversion; therefore, none of the schools were previously private schools. Similarly, the two pre-existing charter schools in Massachusetts were originally public schools--the Massachusetts law also does not allow the conversion of private schools. Exhibit 3-7 contains a state-by-state breakdown of the estimated percentages of newly created and pre-existing charter schools. Among the states having at least nine charter schools, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Minnesota have the highest percentage (over 80 percent) of newly created schools.
EXHIBIT 3-7
STATE-BY-STATE COMPARISON OF THE ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE OF NEWLY CREATED AND PRE-EXISTING CHARTER SCHOOLS (1996-97)[1]
|
State |
# of schools in sample |
% of schools that are newly created |
% of schools that are pre-existing |
Total # of pre-existing schools |
Total # of pre-existing public |
Total # of pre-existing private |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
California |
100 |
54.0% |
46.0% |
46 |
46 |
NA |
|
Arizona |
92 |
64.1% |
35.9% |
33 |
12 |
21 |
|
Michigan |
69 |
62.3% |
37.7% |
26 |
6 |
20 |
|
Colorado |
31 |
87.1% |
12.9% |
4 |
3 |
1 |
|
Minnesota |
19 |
84.2% |
15.8% |
3 |
2 |
1[2] |
|
Massachusetts |
17 |
88.2% |
11.8% |
2 |
2 |
NA |
|
Texas |
14 |
50.0% |
50.0% |
7 |
0 |
7 |
|
Wisconsin |
10 |
40.0% |
60.0% |
6 |
5 |
1[3] |
|
Georgia |
9 |
NA |
100.0% |
9 |
9 |
NA |
|
Florida |
5 |
100.0% |
0.0% |
0 |
0 |
NA |
|
New Mexico |
4 |
NA |
100.0% |
4 |
4 |
NA |
|
Louisiana |
3 |
66.7% |
33.3% |
1 |
1 |
NA |
|
Alaska |
2 |
100.0% |
0.0% |
0 |
0 |
NA |
|
Delaware |
2 |
100.0% |
0.0% |
0 |
0 |
NA |
|
DC |
2 |
50.0% |
50.0% |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Hawaii |
2 |
0.0% |
100.0% |
2 |
2 |
NA |
1 This figure relies on data from 381 charter schools. NA indicates not allowed in the state.
2 One of the Minnesota schools responding to our survey was a pre-existing private school before converting to charter status. However, the Minnesota Attorney General has issued an opinion that casts doubt on whether other private schools can be permitted to convert unless the developers have first tried to establish a newly created charter school and have been denied.
3 This number represents the one charter school in the state allowed to convert from pre-existing private school status; Wisconsin allows pre-existing private schools to convert to charter status only in Milwaukee.
Exhibit 3-8 compares the years in which charter schools opened in terms of the percentage of charter schools that are newly created in each state. The most notable changes in the proportion of new schools are in California and Michigan, where the proportion of newly created schools has continued to grow since the enactment of these states' charter legislation.
EXHIBIT 3-8
ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE OF NEWLY CREATED CHARTER SCHOOLS BY YEAR OF SCHOOL OPENING AND STATE (1996-97)[1]
|
Newly created schools in charter school sample |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Opened 1994-95 |
Opened 1995-96 |
Opened 1996-97 |
||||
|
State |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
|
California |
45.8% |
27 |
63.0% |
17 |
71.4% |
10 |
|
Arizona |
50.0% |
1 |
67.5% |
27 |
62.0% |
31 |
|
Michigan |
25.0% |
1 |
47.2% |
17 |
86.2% |
25 |
|
Colorado |
92.3% |
12 |
90.0% |
9 |
75.0% |
6 |
|
Minnesota |
76.9% |
10 |
100.0% |
4 |
100.0% |
2 |
|
Massachusetts |
NSO[2] |
NSO |
84.6% |
11 |
100.0% |
4 |
|
Texas |
LNP[3] |
LNP |
LNP |
LNP |
50.0% |
7 |
|
Wisconsin |
33.3% |
1 |
66.7% |
2 |
25.0% |
1 |
|
Georgia |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
|
Florida |
LNP |
LNP |
LNP |
LNP |
100.0% |
5 |
|
New Mexico |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
|
Louisiana |
LNP |
LNP |
NSO |
NSO |
66.7% |
2 |
|
Alaska |
LNP |
LNP |
NSO |
NSO |
100.0% |
2 |
|
Delaware |
LNP |
LNP |
NSO |
NSO |
100.0% |
2 |
|
DC |
LNP |
LNP |
LNP |
LNP |
50.0% |
1 |
|
Hawaii |
NSO |
NSO |
NSO |
0 |
NSO |
NSO |
|
All states |
53.1% |
52 |
63.0% |
87 |
67.6% |
98 |
1 This figure relies on data from 381 charter schools. NA indicates not allowed in the state.
2 NSO indicates that no newly created schools were opened in the state in that year.
3 LNP indicates that the state had not yet passed its charter legislation in that year.
Change in Charter Type by School Size. As reported last year, the size of a school is strongly associated with its status prior to becoming a charter school. This is shown clearly by the median student enrollment for each of the three types of charter schools in our sample. The median size for newly created schools is the smallest of the three types of charter schools at 116 students. Pre-existing private schools have a median enrollment of 140 students. Pre-existing public schools are much larger than either of the other two types of schools, with a median enrollment of 383 students.
Exhibit 3-9 shows this finding in a slightly different way. The exhibit shows the enrollment in three categories: schools with fewer than 200 students, those with enrollments between 200 and 599 students, and those with 600 or more students. Almost three-quarters of newly
created charter schools in our sample enroll fewer than 200 students. These tendencies are also increasing over time: newer charter schools are more likely to be both small and newly created.[10] Converted private schools have size distributions similar to newly created charter schools. Conversely, pre-existing public schools vary more in size than other types of charter schools, but pre-existing public schools are much more likely to be large (enroll 600 or more students) than either newly created or pre-existing private schools.[11]
EXHIBIT 3-9
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOL SIZE AND CHARTER STATUS (1996-97)[1]
|
Enrollment |
# of charter schools in sample |
% of charter schools in sample |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
0-199 |
200-599 |
600+ |
|||
| Newly created |
70.0% |
25.3% |
4.6% |
237 |
62.4% |
| Pre-existing public |
39.1% |
26.1% |
34.8% |
92 |
24.2% |
| Pre-existing private |
76.5% |
21.6% |
2.0% |
51 |
13.4% |
| # of charter schools in sample |
241 |
95 |
44 |
380 |
-- |
| % of charter schools in sample |
63.4% |
25.0% |
11.6% |
-- |
100.0% |
1 This figure relies on data from 380 charter schools. One charter school was excluded from this analysis because of missing enrollment information.
Charter schools vary in size and grade level, and are often different from other public schools in these ways. The following points summarize findings from this chapter, which put this variation into perspective by comparing charter schools to all public schools in the 16 states where charter schools were operating in the 1997-98 school year.
School reformers have often called for small schools and newly created ones as ways to effect change and produce improved student learning. The most important aspect of the charter movement may be the development of small schools, regardless of the exact nature of their educational program. In Chapter 5 of this report, we examine the role that small school size may play in attracting parents and students to charter schools. As the charter movement matures, the Study will have an opportunity to gauge how distinctive small and newly created charter schools are in terms of the students they serve and the educational newly created charter schools are in terms of the students they serve and the educational programs, governance personnel policies, and school operations.
1 That is, references to "states" should be taken to include the District of Columbia, unless explicitly indicated otherwise.
2 A number of charter states do not maintain accurate records of enrollments in charter schools. Consequently, there is currently no central source for accurate information on enrollment or the number of charter schools in operation across the country. The information from our telephone survey often provides the only practical source of enrollment data across the country. Subsequent footnotes will indicate when we use data for estimation purposes other than the responses to our yearly telephone surveys.
3 The rationale for choosing this method of comparison is discussed in detail in the First-Year Report. See U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, A Study of Charter Schools: First-Year Report, 1997, May 1997.
4 If we were to exhibit all the analysis and comparisons in the text, the report might become too burdensome to read. Consequently, Appendix C contains tables showing state-by-state comparisons and other information. We will use footnotes to indicate differences in conclusions that might be drawn if we were to examine the state-by-state data instead of data drawn from the 16-state base.
5 As footnote 2 explained, there is no central source for enrollment data. Our telephone survey has a response rate of 89 percent, which is a high enough rate that most analyses reported in this document are reasonably accurate. However, for the purpose of estimated total charter school enrollment, we supplemented our telephone survey data with information from other sources. We drew on state sources in Colorado, California, and Massachusetts to include enrollment data for all missing schools in those states. For Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Georgia, Illinois, and one school in Arizona, we were able to obtain some missing data from the 1996-97 Common Core of Data. The resulting estimate cited above and the state-by-state estimates shown in Exhibit 3-1 show the results of this procedure. The statistics shown for charter schools in Exhibit 3-2 are based on the same estimation procedure. Thereafter, except in Exhibit C-1 of Appendix C, all estimates are based solely on the samples constructed from telephone survey data.
6 The state-by-state data presented in Exhibit C-1 of Appendix C show that for all states with a significant number of charter schools (more than nine), a much higher proportion of charter schools have fewer than 200 students than all public schools in those states. All charter schools in three states--Alaska, Florida, and Louisiana-- and the District of Columbia have fewer than 200 students, although these figures represent only a few schools. California, with the most charter schools, also has the greatest variation in the size of its charter schools: about 40 percent of California charter schools are small, with the other half distributed almost evenly between medium and large schools. In other states, between 50 and 100 percent of charter schools enroll fewer than 200 students compared to other public schools. Georgia, with only 12 charter schools, is the only exception; nine Georgia charter schools (75 percent) are larger than 600 students.
7 Later exhibits refer to a median size of 143, which includes only those 381 charter schools in our sample. This median size includes estimated enrollment figures from sources other than the telephone survey.
8 The data from this and all subsequent analysis are based solely on samples constructed from the telephone survey data. Footnotes will indicate the size of the sample.
9 Wisconsin allows private school conversions only in the city of Milwaukee.
10 Where it is possible to examine enrollment over time, our data reveal that charter schools did not change their total enrollment within the period of one school year in any significant way. Small schools generally started small and remained that way. Newly created schools referred to difficulties with start-up and marketing in our initial telephone survey, but only two years' worth of data do not allow us conclude that many of these schools' small size stems from such difficulties. We will continue to monitor this issue over the life of the Study.
11 Exhibit C-4, Appendix C shows the percentage of schools that are newly created or pre-existing by school level. These data indicate that schools at all grade-level configurations are most likely to be newly created schools. Both pre-existing public and private schools (34 percent of all previously public schools and 29 percent of all previously private schools) are most likely to serve elementary students after their charter is granted.
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[IV. Students of Charter Schools]