As the nation’s educators and reformers seek promising approaches to improving the nation’s schools, the profile of charter schools continues to rise. As reported in Quality Counts 2006 and updated here, data from the Center for Education Reform reveal that charter schools have been operating in steadily increasing numbers since 1999, the first year for which information is available. Since that time, the population of charters has more than doubled, growing from 1,680 in 1999 to 4,128 in 2007. The Center for Education Reform estimates that charter schools currently serve more than 1.2 million students nationwide.
For state-by-state data on charter schools and other topics, search the EPE Research Center’s Education Counts database.
SOURCE: Center for Education Reform, 1999-2007