School & District Management

Displaced Students Enrolled in New Charter Schools

By Catherine Gewertz — September 21, 2004 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Thousands of California students were suddenly left without classrooms when the company that operated their charter schools closed last month. But a new report shows that most of the students who were of regular school age have moved to other charter schools.

The California Charter Schools Association, a nonprofit group that advises and advocates for the state’s 537 charter schools, released the report last week. The association collected data from the charter schools that enrolled the students displaced from the approximately 60 campuses of the failed California Charter Academy.

It obtained cca’s enrollment figures from the California Department of Education, which is investigating the charter-management organization. The state reports that cca enrolled 5,495 students in 2003-04, but 40 percent were adults. Of the remaining 3,300 students, 80 percent, or 2,646, are now enrolled in 19 charter schools, said Gary L. Larson, a spokesman for the Los Angeles-based association.

Cca had counted its enrollment as about 11,000, but it got that figure by including all students who had attended at some point in 2003-04, said Keith Edmonds, a consultant with the California education department’s charter school division. The department’s method of counting, which looks at enrollment on a given day, put the figure at 5,495, he said.

Education Week had cited an enrollment of “some 10,000" in reporting on cca’s failure. (“Calif. Charter Failure Affects 10,000 Students,” Sept. 1, 2004.)

The 5-year-old California Charter Academy, an organization based in Victorville, Calif., closed some of its schools in July and the rest in August, in the face of questions from the state about its business practices.

Changing Rules

The state charter association did not track how many cca students enrolled in noncharter public schools. Officials from the charter-management organization could not be reached for comment.

The organization had operated many of its campuses as satellites, outside the geographic boundaries of the three school districts that authorized the charters.

It also enrolled a large portion of students older than 18.

But California law or regulations that went into effect within the last two years were phasing out both practices, Mr. Edmonds said.

Most of CCA’s campuses are closed, Mr. Edmonds said. But some have been absorbed by existing charter schools, and two have become independent charter schools by obtaining authorization from the school districts in which they are located, he said.

Events

Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Webinar
Making Science Stick: The Engaging Power of Hands-On Learning
How can you make science class the highlight of your students’ day while
achieving learning outcomes? Find out in this session.
Content provided by LEGO Education

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Q&A This City Can Claim a NAEP Distinction No Other City Can. Here's What Happened
While American students saw another decline in 4th grade reading scores on the Nation's Report Card, this city was an exception.
6 min read
Diverse elementary students reading in the classroom
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management Do Students Suffer When a Superintendent Leaves? A New Study Has an Answer
A new study is the first in a while to explore how students fare academically when there's turnover in the district's top office.
5 min read
A man places his hand on top of his head as he looks up at an upwardly pointing arrow turning downward as it turns a corner.
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management What Latino Superintendents Say It Will Take to Grow Their Ranks
Three Latino superintendents talked about the direct and indirect paths to building a pipeline of future district leaders of color.
4 min read
Vector image of many professionals, diversity, highlighting hispanic.
Liz Yap/Education Week and iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion Your School Needs a Teacher-Mentorship Program
We all know how critical the first few years of teaching are. Here's how to set teachers up for success.
Pamela Slifer
4 min read
Mentorship development of young teachers. School leaders make the teaching profession more sustainable by developing a robust mentoring program in their school.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva