Of the public schools in California serving large numbers of students in poverty, 12 of the 15 highest-performing ones are charter schools, says a new analysis by the California Charter Schools Association.
Five of the schools are in Oakland, three are in Los Angeles County, and two are in Santa Clara County; one each is in San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Schools in poverty were defined as those in which at least 70 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
The analysis looked at the 2008 results on the state’s Academic Performance Index, a score based on test results that ranges from 200 to 1,000. The API scores at the 12 charter schools ranged from 881 to 967.
“These exemplary charter schools should be studied and their best practices replicated in the broader public school system so that more underserved children can benefit,” Peter Thorp, the interim chief executive officer of the association, said in a statement.
