Georgia’s Public Charter Schools See Enrollment Growth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 

ATLANTA—According to state-level data analyzed by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools in a new report, Believing in Public Education: A Demographic and State-level Analysis of Public Charter School and District Public School Enrollment Trends, Georgia’s charter school enrollment grew by nearly 6% or 3,800 students during the last four school years (2019-2020 to 2022-2023). In the meantime, the state’s traditional school enrollment declined by more than 1% or 22,000 students.

In the most recent school year, 2022-2023, charter school growth continued to outpace district school enrollment – with Georgia charter schools experiencing nearly 1% growth while traditional schools increased by 0.6 percent. 

“It’s clear that, for many Georgia families, charter schools are the type of public education that best fits the needs of their children,” said Tony Roberts, President and CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association. “We must help make a high-quality public education more accessible to more families and remove barriers.”

Nationally, enrollment in public charter schools increased by 2%, or more than 72,000 students, from the 2021-22 school year to the 2022-23 school year. By contrast, district public school enrollment increased by .02% or 7,400 students. Over the past four years, public charter schools gained more than 300,000 students (9% increase). Meanwhile, district public schools have been unable to recover the 1.5 million students they lost during the pandemic (3.5% loss). 

“Public charter schools remain a popular choice for families across the nation,” says Nina Rees, President and CEO of the National Alliance. “Free, public, and open to all, charter schools deliver a high-quality choice in education and parents are demanding greater access to these unique public schools year after year.”  

In July and August 2023, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools contacted State Educational Agency (SEA) officials in all states and territories with charter schools to collect enrollment data for charter schools and other public, non-charter schools. The National Alliance received data from 42 states, including Georgia, to make a clear determination about the total statewide enrollment figures for charter schools compared to district public schools during the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 school years.

 About Georgia Charter Schools Association
The Georgia Charter Schools Association is a nonprofit membership organization for Georgia’s public charter schools and petitioners. Our mission is to support, foster and advocate for the development of high-quality public charter schools and networks that improve opportunities for Georgia students. We believe every child in Georgia should have equal access to a quality and transformative public education.

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