It’s back to school season. And as students, parents, and teachers prepare to start a new school year, a new cohort of public charter schools is ready to open their doors for the first time. This year will mark the opening of the first charter school in Maine—which has already received more applications than it has seats available, meaning it will have to hold a lottery for admissions. Meeting parent demand for public school options is an issue throughout the sector. The results of our national survey conducted in the spring of 2012 found over 600,000 students on waiting lists to attend a public charter school. Over the past four academic years, the public charter school sector has seen an average 7 percent growth in the total number of charter schools. We’re in the process of identifying new charter schools opening this fall, and if the sector grows like it has over the last couple of years, roughly 400 new public charter schools will help to meet parental demand for high quality educational opportunities. Welcome back to school!
Academic Year
Number of New Charter Schools in the Fall
% Growth in Number of Charter Schools
2008-2009
478
7.5%
2009-2010
436
6.1%
2010-2011
517
7.1%
2011-2012
538
7.0%
Average
492.3
6.9%
