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A National Study of Charter Schools - July 1998

IV. Students of Charter Schools

Charter schools are intended to be schools of choice, where parents are at liberty to select schools they feel are best suited to their children's needs. Also, charter developers are freed, subject to accountability for results, to create schools that meet the community's needs. Do these freedoms produce various forms of discrimination? Some observers fear that if charter schools were to act like private schools, selecting only certain students and rejecting others, they might evolve into "elite" public schools parallel to some "elite" private academies. Though all states prohibit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and disability and prohibit charter schools from charging tuition or establishing a sectarian school, the following questions remain to be answered empirically: What kinds of students do charter schools actually serve? How inclusive are charter schools? How similar are their student bodies to those in other public schools? Is there systematic evidence that suggests that charter schools may be discriminating?

CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS

We found no evidence to support the concern that charter schools as a group disproportionately serve White and economically advantaged students.

Broadly speaking, charter schools mirror the racial distribution of students in all public schools. About one-half of charter and all public schools serve predominately White students, about one-quarter of charter and all public schools serve predominately non-White students, and the remainder serve a diverse group of students.

Charter schools in some states clearly serve a higher proportion of students of color than other public schools, whereas in the remaining states charter schools serve a similar or somewhat higher proportion of White students.
B
Our best estimate is that six out of ten charter schools are not racially distinct from their surrounding district. About three out of ten are much more likely to enroll students of color than their surrounding district. Similar findings hold for low-income students.

The percentage of students with disabilities at charter schools (8 percent) is somewhat less than for all public schools (11 percent). The percentage of LEP students served in charter schools (13 percent) is about the same as in other public schools.

A. Are Charter Schools Serving Racial/Ethnic Minorities?

1. Overall Pattern

Charter schools enroll a diverse population of students, as Exhibit 4-1 shows.^[1] The first column of this table lists the five racial/ethnic categories used by the Census and an "other" category. The second and third columns, respectively, display the number of enrolled students in charter schools in 1996-97 and the number of students in all public schools in the 16 charter states in 1994-95. The number of charter school students is based on the charter schools that responded to our telephone survey and therefore reflects a sample of about 89 percent of the charter schools operational in the 1996-97 school year less the schools whose reports on racial/ethnic distribution were inconsistent with their enrollment figures.^[2] The fourth and fifth columns, respectively, show the percentages that the student enrollment in a given racial category are of the total enrollment for the charter schools and all public schools in the 16 states that had operational charter schools in 1994-95 (which is the most recent year for which comprehensive racial/ethnic information was available). The data show that about half of charter school students (52 percent) are White, and that Hispanic students represent the largest minority group enrolled in charter schools. These percentages are similar to those in all the public schools in the 16 states. Columns six and seven use individual schools as the base for calculation and show the average across schools of the percentage of students in the different racial/ethnic categories for charter and public schools respectively. The school-level averages for charter schools are similar to those for public schools.^[3]

EXHIBIT 4-1

ESTIMATED PERCENTAGES OF ENROLLMENT IN CHARTER SCHOOLS (1996-97)^[1] AND ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE SIXTEEN CHARTER STATES (1994-95)^[2] BY RACIAL/ETHNIC CATEGORY

Students

Schools

# of all students

% of students

Average of % in racial category at each school

Racial categories

# of students enrolled in charter school sample

# of students enrolled in all public schools in 16 charter states

% of students enrolled in charter school pre-existing

% of students enrolled in all public schools in 16 charter states

Charter schools in sample

Public schools in 16 charter states

White, not of Hispanic origin

48,817

10,932,484

52.0%

56.1%

58.1%

59.9%

Black, not of Hispanic origin

14,605

3,022,095

15.5%

15.5%

16.8%

14.6%

Hispanic

21,128

4,338,049

22.5%

22.3%

16.3%

19.5%

Asian or Pacific Islander

4,291

   960,085

4.6%

4.9%

3.1%

3.9%

American Indian or Alaska Native

4,613

   231,538

4.9%

1.2%

5.3%

2.1%

Other^[3]

   499

NA

0.5%

NA

0.4%

NA

Total^[4]

93,953

19,484,251

93,953

19,484,251

368

33,526

	Students	Schools
	# of all students	% of students	Average of % in racial category at each school
Racial categories	# of students enrolled in charter school sample	# of students enrolled in all public schools in 16 charter states	% of students enrolled in charter school pre-existing	% of students enrolled in all public schools in 16 charter states	Charter schools in sample	Public schools in 16 charter states
White, not of Hispanic origin	48,817	10,932,484	52.0%	56.1%	58.1%	59.9%
Black, not of Hispanic origin	14,605	3,022,095	15.5%	15.5%	16.8%	14.6%
Hispanic	21,128	4,338,049	22.5%	22.3%	16.3%	19.5%
Asian or Pacific Islander	4,291	960,085	4.6%	4.9%	3.1%	3.9%
American Indian or Alaska Native	4,613	231,538	4.9%	1.2%	5.3%	2.1%
Other^[3]	499	NA	0.5%	NA	0.4%	NA
Total^[4]	93,953	19,484,251	93,953	19,484,251	368	33,526

1 The number of responding charter schools includes 368 open charter schools with valid racial data. By valid racial data, we mean that the number of students in the racial/ethnic categories was equal to the total student enrollment reported.

2 Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data Survey, 1994-95. For this figure and other figures about racial/ethnic breakdowns, all public schools refers to open public schools in the 16 charter states that reported student enrollment and where student enrollment matches the number of students in each of the five census categories.

3 The National Center for Education Statistics does not report an "other" racial category.

4 These totals differ somewhat from totals presented earlier. The charter school total relies on 368 open charter schools as indicated above, while other figures utilize different numbers of schools. The total for all public schools differs from that presented in Exhibit 3-1 because it relies on data from different sources and different school years and includes 33,526 cases, as indicated above.

2. State-by-State Comparison

State charter laws and other state conditions determine the framework within which charter schools arise and operate. A state-by-state breakdown of the school averages for the racial/ethnic categories therefore provides a useful representation of the variability across states in terms of demographic differences.^[4] Exhibit 4-2 and the companion graphic show that the states differ greatly in the racial composition of both their charter and all public schools. Of the states with larger numbers of charter students or schools, California, Colorado, and Arizona have a somewhat higher average school percentage of White students in charter schools than in all public schools. Conversely, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin have a lower average percentage of White students in charter schools than in all public schools, with the first three states having a considerably lower average. These significant variations reflect differences across the states as to the emphasis placed in state charter laws as well as in informal policy on serving at-risk or low-income students. We will elaborate this point with additional data later in this chapter.

EXHIBIT 4-2 GRAPHIC

ESTIMATED AVERAGE SCHOOL PERCENTAGE OF WHITE STUDENT ENROLLMENT IN CHARTER (1996-97) AND ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN SELECTED CHARTER STATES (1994-95)

EXHIBIT 4-2

ESTIMATED AVERAGE OF SCHOOL RACIAL PERCENTAGES ACROSS CHARTER SCHOOLS (1996-97)^[1] AND ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN SIXTEEN CHARTER STATES (1994-95)^[2]

Average % enrollment in charter schools and in all public schools in the state

State

Average % White

Average % Black

Average % Hispanic

Average % Asian or Pacific Islander

Average % American Indian or Alaska Native

Average % Other^[3]

# of students^[4]

California

charter

56.5%

9.6%

25.1%

5.5%

3.0%

0.3%

95

state

46.4%

8.4%

34.1%

9.8%

1.4%

NA

7,821

Arizona

charter

58.4%

8.9%

19.4%

1.2%

12.0%

0.1%

88

state

56.1%

4.0%

29.7%

1.4%

8.8%

NA

1,100

Michigan

charter

54.8%

35.2%

5.1%

1.0%

3.2%

0.6%

67

state

79.4%

15.2%

2.7%

1.3%

1.3%

NA

3,423

Colorado

charter

83.5%

3.9%

8.4%

2.5%

1.7%

0.0%

30

state

74.3%

4.3%

18.4%

1.9%

1.1%

NA

1,407

Minnesota

charter

52.8%

23.7%

2.3%

7.2%

13.9%

0.1%

19

state

85.9%

5.6%

2.2%

3.4%

3.1%

NA

1,905

Massachusetts

charter

69.8%

10.7%

15.9%

2.4%

0.2%

0.9%

16

state

80.6%

7.8%

8.0%

3.5%

0.2%

NA

1,764

Texas

charter

17.6%

27.0%

51.2%

3.2%

0.0%

1.1%

14

state

50.4%

13.9%

33.9%

1.5%

0.3%

NA

6,477

Wisconsin

charter

78.7%

15.7%

3.3%

2.0%

0.2%

0.0%

10

state

87.0%

6.8%

2.5%

2.3%

1.5%

NA

2,030

Georgia

charter

73.1%

21.9%

3.5%

1.2%

0.3%

0.0%

8

state

57.5%

39.3%

1.9%

1.2%

0.1%

NA

1,766

Florida

charter

45.3%

51.5%

0.4%

2.8%

0.0%

0.0%

5

state

58.6%

27.5%

12.4%

1.4%

0.2%

NA

2,708

New Mexico

charter

47.1%

3.0%

43.9%

2.2%

3.9%

0.0%

4

state

38.5%

2.1%

47.7%

0.7%

11.1%

NA

710

Louisiana

charter

48.1%

46.1%

1.7%

0.0%

4.2%

0.0%

3

state

51.2%

46.3%

1.0%

1.0%

0.6%

NA

1,459

Alaska

charter

80.6%

2.7%

2.7%

2.0%

12.0%

0.0%

2

state

47.5%

2.5%

1.5%

2.3%

46.1%

NA

478

Delaware

charter

69.4%

25.4%

2.1%

3.1%

0.0%

0.0%

2

state

63.4%

31.0%

3.8%

1.6%

0.2%

NA

182

District of Columbia

charter

0.0%

100.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

2

state

5.3%

86.8%

6.4%

1.4%

0.0%

NA

174

Hawaii

charter

26.0%

7.0%

10.9%

41.0%

1.0%

14.3%

2

state

22.4%

1.7%

4.4%

71.3%

0.3%

NA

122

		Average % enrollment in charter schools and in all public schools in the state
State		Average % White	Average % Black	Average % Hispanic	Average % Asian or Pacific Islander	Average % American Indian or Alaska Native	Average % Other^[3]	# of students^[4]
California	charter	56.5%	9.6%	25.1%	5.5%	3.0%	0.3%	95
	state	46.4%	8.4%	34.1%	9.8%	1.4%	NA	7,821
Arizona	charter	58.4%	8.9%	19.4%	1.2%	12.0%	0.1%	88
	state	56.1%	4.0%	29.7%	1.4%	8.8%	NA	1,100
Michigan	charter	54.8%	35.2%	5.1%	1.0%	3.2%	0.6%	67
	state	79.4%	15.2%	2.7%	1.3%	1.3%	NA	3,423
Colorado	charter	83.5%	3.9%	8.4%	2.5%	1.7%	0.0%	30
	state	74.3%	4.3%	18.4%	1.9%	1.1%	NA	1,407
Minnesota	charter	52.8%	23.7%	2.3%	7.2%	13.9%	0.1%	19
	state	85.9%	5.6%	2.2%	3.4%	3.1%	NA	1,905
Massachusetts	charter	69.8%	10.7%	15.9%	2.4%	0.2%	0.9%	16
	state	80.6%	7.8%	8.0%	3.5%	0.2%	NA	1,764
Texas	charter	17.6%	27.0%	51.2%	3.2%	0.0%	1.1%	14
	state	50.4%	13.9%	33.9%	1.5%	0.3%	NA	6,477
Wisconsin	charter	78.7%	15.7%	3.3%	2.0%	0.2%	0.0%	10
	state	87.0%	6.8%	2.5%	2.3%	1.5%	NA	2,030
Georgia	charter	73.1%	21.9%	3.5%	1.2%	0.3%	0.0%	8
	state	57.5%	39.3%	1.9%	1.2%	0.1%	NA	1,766
Florida	charter	45.3%	51.5%	0.4%	2.8%	0.0%	0.0%	5
	state	58.6%	27.5%	12.4%	1.4%	0.2%	NA	2,708
New Mexico	charter	47.1%	3.0%	43.9%	2.2%	3.9%	0.0%	4
	state	38.5%	2.1%	47.7%	0.7%	11.1%	NA	710
Louisiana	charter	48.1%	46.1%	1.7%	0.0%	4.2%	0.0%	3
	state	51.2%	46.3%	1.0%	1.0%	0.6%	NA	1,459
Alaska	charter	80.6%	2.7%	2.7%	2.0%	12.0%	0.0%	2
	state	47.5%	2.5%	1.5%	2.3%	46.1%	NA	478
Delaware	charter	69.4%	25.4%	2.1%	3.1%	0.0%	0.0%	2
	state	63.4%	31.0%	3.8%	1.6%	0.2%	NA	182
District of Columbia	charter	0.0%	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	2
	state	5.3%	86.8%	6.4%	1.4%	0.0%	NA	174
Hawaii	charter	26.0%	7.0%	10.9%	41.0%	1.0%	14.3%	2
	state	22.4%	1.7%	4.4%	71.3%	0.3%	NA	122

1 This exhibit relies on data from 368 open charter schools with valid racial data.

2 Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data Survey 1994-95.

3 The National Center for Education Statistics does not report an "other" racial category.

4 This table and subsequent tables have a triple line break between Wisconsin and Georgia to designate that the states below the triple line have so few charter states that the school averages may not be meaningful.

3. Racial/Ethnic Concentration

The above analysis deals with averages, but averages tell only part of the story of the racial composition of charter schools. Exhibit 4-3 shows the distribution of the school percentage of White students for charter schools and all public schools in the 16 states. The largest percentage of schools--whether charter or all public schools--serves mostly White students, and the next largest percentage serves predominantly non-White students. These data reflect segregated residential patterns in the country. In a broad sense, charter schools appear to mirror the racial/ethnic characteristics of all public schools. Insofar as these exhibits reveal a difference between charter and other public schools, a higher percentage of charter schools have primarily non-White student bodies. This finding is worth investigating in more detail.

EXHIBIT 4-3

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ESTIMATED SCHOOL PERCENTAGE OF WHITE STUDENTS FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS (1996-7)^[1] AND ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE SIXTEEN CHARTER STATES (1994-95)^[2]

1 This exhibit draws on data from 368 open charter schools with valid racial data.

2 Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data Survey (1994-95). For this figure, all public schools refers to open public schools in the sixteen charter states which reported student enrollment and where student enrollment matched the count of students in each of the five census categories.

Exhibit 4-4 divides the distribution of the school percentages of White students into three categories of racial/ethnic concentration: predominantly non-White (the percentage of schools that have one-third or fewer White students), diverse (between one-third and two-thirds White students), and predominantly White (two-thirds or more White students). About one-half of charter and all public schools serve predominantly White students, about one-quarter of charter and all public schools serve predominantly non-White students,^[5] while the remainder serve a diverse group of students. Though the overall distribution of racial concentration is about the same for charter schools and other public schools, a state-by-state analysis reveals substantial differences across states similar to the patterns discussed earlier for the average percentage of White students (see Exhibit 4-5).^[6]

EXHIBIT 4-4

ESTIMATED RACIAL CONCENTRATION OF CHARTER SCHOOLS (1996-97)^[1] COMPARED TO ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE SIXTEEN CHARTER STATES (1994-95)^[2]

Proportion of White students
# of charter schools in sample

% of all charter schools in sample

# of public schools in 16 states

# of all public schools in 16 states

0-1/3

102

27.7%

8,332

24.9%

1/3-2/3

77

20.9%

7,951

23.7%

2/3-1

189

51.4%

17,243

51.4%

Total

368

100.0%^[3]

33,526

100.0%

Proportion of White students	# of charter schools in sample	% of all charter schools in sample	# of public schools in 16 states	# of all public schools in 16 states
0-1/3	102	27.7%	8,332	24.9%
1/3-2/3	77	20.9%	7,951	23.7%
2/3-1	189	51.4%	17,243	51.4%
Total	368	100.0%^[3]	33,526	100.0%

1 This exhibit draws on data from 368 open charter schools with valid racial data.

2 Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data Survey, 1994-95.

3 Generally speaking, the Report displays percentages or proportions rounded to one decimal place. When columns or rows of percentages or proportions are added, they might add to a number slightly different than 100 percent or one if these numbers were rounded to one decimal.

Whereas the earlier Exhibit 4-2 graphic illustrates state differences for the average percentage of White students, Exhibit 4-5 focuses on schools that predominantly serve students of color--that is, schools which serve at least two-thirds non-White students. This exhibit shows the percentage of schools that predominantly serve students of color for charter schools and all public schools in charter states that had at least eight charter schools operational in 1996-97.^[7]

EXHIBIT 4-5

ESTIMATED CONCENTRATION OF STUDENTS BY RACE FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS (1996-97)^[1] AND ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN SELECTED CHARTER STATES (1994-95)^[2]

1 This exhibit draws on data from 368 open charter schools with valid racial data.

2 Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data Survey, 1994-95.

In summary, this evidence from the telephone survey provides an approximate answer to a broad question: From a state perspective, do charter schools differ from all public schools in their racial composition? Charter schools in Michigan, Minnesota, and Texas clearly serve a higher proportion of students of color than other public schools in the corresponding state. In the remaining states with at least ten charter schools, charter school enrollments are more or less similar to the racial composition for all public schools (within about ten percent).

4. Are Charter Schools Racially Different from Their Districts?

The foregoing conclusion based on state-level comparisons begs two related questions: Is the racial concentration pattern of charter schools a product of the district (or districts) from which they draw students? Do charter schools reflect the district (or districts) in terms of racial concentration? These questions are hard to answer for several reasons.^[8] Nonetheless, we can explore the extent to which the percentage of White students served by charter schools is similar to the surrounding district's average percentage of White student enrollment. Since accurate data on the percentage of charter school students that come from one or more districts is difficult to obtain, the following data must be treated as exploratory and subject to refinement.^[9]

One way to compare the racial composition of charter schools to their districts is to ask: Can the percentage of White student enrollment at a school be predicted from the district's average percentage of White students? The graph in Exhibit 4-6 shows the results of this exploratory analysis. The horizontal axis is the average percentage of White students enrolled in each charter school's surrounding district. The vertical axis is the percentage of White students at each charter school. The solid line in the graph is a prediction line that statistically predicts the percentage of White students at a charter school based only on the district's average percentage of White students. The small squares not falling on the prediction line stand for the actual percentage of White students for a charter school and the average percentage of White students in the corresponding district(s) for each charter school, while the squares falling along the prediction line are values resulting from the statistical prediction. If each charter school had exactly the same percentage of White students as the district, all of the small squares in the graph would fall on the prediction line and the prediction line would go though the points (0%, 0%) and (100%, 100%).

EXHIBIT 4-6

CHARTER SCHOOLS VERSUS DISTRICT SCHOOLS' PERCENTAGE OF WHITE STUDENTS^[1]

1 This exhibit draws on data from 349 open charter schools with valid racial data and where information on both the charter school and its comparison district percentage of White students is available. The regression line crosses the vertical axis at a number less than zero because a line through those points provides the best fit of the data. The regression coefficient is 1.08.

The graph implies that generally speaking charter schools tend to be like their districts in terms of the percentage of White students they serve--that is, the higher the district's percentage of White students, the higher the charter school's percentage of White students.^[10] Thus, charter schools that serve higher percentages of White students tend to come from districts that serve high percentages of White students and charter schools that serve lower percentages of White students tend to come from districts that serve low percentages of White students.

Though this finding is important in its own terms, the data suggest additional conclusions: Despite the overall correlation between charter school and district racial composition, a large number of charter schools have a smaller percentage of White students than one would predict solely on the basis of the district average. (See the circled values falling below the line of prediction at the lower middle to left end of the graph.) In other words, there are many charter schools that serve mostly non-White students in districts that serve mostly White students or have a diverse student body. We will return to this finding shortly.

The graph also shows a small number of charter schools with a percentage of White students higher than the district's average. (See the circled values falling above the line of prediction at the upper left of the graph.) The relatively few schools that fall into this category do not reflect their surrounding district.

Defining Racially Distinct. Before drawing conclusions from these findings, we will examine the data in more depth. There are many ways to define whether a school's racial composition is different from its surrounding district (or districts). The way used here is to measure whether the charter school is distinctly different from the district, rather than marginally different. For these purposes, we define a charter school to be distinctly different from its district if its percentage of White students is 20 percent greater than or 20 percent less than the average percentage of White students in the district.^[11]

EXHIBIT 4-7

RACIAL DISTINCTIVENESS OF CHARTER SCHOOLS
COMPARED TO SURROUNDING DISTRICTS (1996-97)

Racial distinctiveness
# of charter schools in sample
% of charter schools in sample

Not distinct from district[within 20% of district average]

209

59.9%

Higher percentage of White students than the district [>20% of district average]

16

4.6%

Lower percentage of White students than the district [<20% of district average]

124

35.5%

Total

349^[1]

100.0%

Racial distinctiveness	# of charter schools in sample	% of charter schools in sample
Not distinct from district[within 20% of district average]	209	59.9%
Higher percentage of White students than the district [>20% of district average]	16	4.6%
Lower percentage of White students than the district [<20% of district average]	124	35.5%
Total	349^[1]	100.0%

Exhibit 4-7 shows a table and a graphic depiction of the results of applying this measure of racial distinctiveness to the charter schools for which we have data.^[12] The exhibit shows that 60 percent of the charter schools are not racially distinct from their surrounding district (in the sense that the school's percentage of White students is within 20 percent of the district's average percentage of White students). This is an important finding. Put another way, most charter schools are similar to their surrounding district with regard to the percentage of White students they enroll. This finding corresponds to the general statistical result discussed above--that the percentage of White students served by charter schools correlates with the district's average.

The exhibit shows another important finding. Thirty-six percent of charter schools serve a percentage of White students that is lower (by at least 20 percent) than their surrounding district. Said differently: About one in three charter schools serve a distinctively higher percentage of students of color than the district. Insofar as charter schools are racially distinctive from their surrounding districts, the evidence indicates that they are much more likely to enroll students of color.

The exhibits also show that only five percent of charter schools enroll a percentage of White students higher (by at least 20 percent) than the percentage of White students served by their surrounding district. This finding suggests a starting place to ascertain whether a small number of charter schools perhaps follow practices resulting in a disproportionately White student body.

Racial Concentration and Racial Distinctiveness. Exhibit 4-8 shows three tables comparing the racial distinctiveness of charter schools to their racial concentration. The tables are only different from one another in the way percentages are computed. The top table computes the percentages of the total number of charter schools in the sample for which we have data; table b computes the percentages of the total for each row; and table C computes the percentages for the sum of each column. The combination of looking at the same data in slightly different ways tells the following intriguing story:

Almost half (46.1 percent) of charter schools serve predominantly White students and are not distinct from their district average (see Table a). Ninety-two percent of the schools that serve predominantly White students are not racially distinct from their districts (see Table b). In other words, the vast majority of primarily White schools have demographics similar to the district.

About one in four charter schools (28.9 percent) serve primarily students of color (see Table c).^[13] Of these charter schools, 80 percent are racially distinct from the district average and serve more than a 20 percent higher percentage of non-White students than the district average (see Table b). In other words, the large majority of charter schools that serve predominantly students of color are in districts that have a significantly lower percentage of students of color.

Most charter schools (56.9 percent) serving a diverse student body are distinct from the district and serve a higher percentage of students of color than the district average (see Table b).

In summary, though this analysis is only exploratory, it tends to put to rest the fear that significant numbers of charter schools are exclusively White schools. On the contrary, there are a significant number of charter schools that serve more students of color than one would have predicted if they were similar to their districts.

EXHIBIT 4-8

RACIAL DISTINCTIVENESS VERSUS RACIAL CONCENTRATION
OF CHARTER SCHOOLS^[1]

A. Percentage of All Charter Schools in Sample

Proportion of
White students

Not distinct
from district
[within 20% of
district average]

Higher %
White students
[>20% of
district average]

Lower %
White students
[<20% of
district average]

# of
schools in
sample

<1/3

5.7%

0.0%

23.2%

101

1/3-2/3

8.0%

0.9%

11.7%

72

>2/3

46.1%

3.7%

0.6%

176

# of schools

209

16

124

349

Proportion of White students	Not distinct from district [within 20% of district average]	Higher % White students [>20% of district average]	Lower % White students [<20% of district average]	# of schools in sample
<1/3	5.7%	0.0%	23.2%	101
1/3-2/3	8.0%	0.9%	11.7%	72
>2/3	46.1%	3.7%	0.6%	176
# of schools	209	16	124	349

B. Percentage of Proportion of White Students (Read Percentage Across Row)

Proportion of
White students

Not distinct
from district
[within 20% of
district average]

Higher %
White students
[>20% of
district average]

Lower %
White students
[<20% of
district average]

<1/3

19.8%

0.0%

80.2%

1/3-2/3

38.9%

4.2%

56.9%

>2/3

91.5%

7.4%

1.1%

% Distinct

59.9%

4.6%

35.5%

Proportion of White students	Not distinct from district [within 20% of district average]	Higher % White students [>20% of district average]	Lower % White students [<20% of district average]
<1/3	19.8%	0.0%	80.2%
1/3-2/3	38.9%	4.2%	56.9%
>2/3	91.5%	7.4%	1.1%
% Distinct	59.9%	4.6%	35.5%

C. Percentage of Distinctiveness from District (Read Percentage Down Column)

Proportion of
White students

Not distinct
from district
[within 20% of
district average]

Higher %
White students
[>20% of
district average]

Lower %
White students
[<20% of
district average]

% Racial concentration across all charter schools

<1/3

9.6%

0.0%

65.3%

28.9%

1/3-2/3

13.4%

18.8%

33.1%

20.6%

>2/3

77.0%

81.3%

1.6%

50.4%

Proportion of White students	Not distinct from district [within 20% of district average]	Higher % White students [>20% of district average]	Lower % White students [<20% of district average]	% Racial concentration across all charter schools
<1/3	9.6%	0.0%	65.3%	28.9%
1/3-2/3	13.4%	18.8%	33.1%	20.6%
>2/3	77.0%	81.3%	1.6%	50.4%

1 This exhibit draws on data from 349 open charter schools with valid racial and enrollment data and where information on both the charter school and its comparison district percentage of White students is available.

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[III. Characteristics of Charter Schools (part 2 of 2)]

[IV. Students of Charter Schools (part 2 of 3)]