New Orleans Ranks #1 in Top Ten Public Charter School Communities by Market Share

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New Orleans ranks #1 in the nation for public charter school market share with 57% of public school students attending charter schools, according to the annual Top 10 Charter Communities by Market Share report released today by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. New Orleans also is the ninth largest public charter school community by student enrollment with 20,068 students in public charter schools.

"With more than half of public school students in charter schools, New Orleans is uniquely able to demonstrate the potential of charter schooling to bring a high-quality education to children that need one," said Nelson Smith, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools President and CEO.

The report finds:

• Charter Growth Remains Strong: Nationally, there are 14 communities where more than 20% of public school students are enrolled in charters, up from six in 2005-06. 72 communities now have at least 10% of public school students in charter schools, 27 more than three years ago.
• 10 Districts Enroll 22% of Charter Students: The 10 districts with the largest number of students in public charter schools represent 22% of the total public charter school population nationwide, a total of 304,494 students out of roughly 1.4 million.
• More than 1/3 of Public School Students in Charters in Three Cities: Public charter market share breaks 30% of students in Detroit (at 32%), Washington, D.C. (36%), and New Orleans (57%).
  

The "Top 10" largest market share public charter school communities (including ties) are: New Orleans, LA (57%); Washington, D.C. (36%); Detroit, MI (32%); Kansas City, MO (29%); Dayton, OH (27%); Youngstown, OH (26%); St. Louis, MO (25%); Flint, MI (24%); Gary, IN (23%); Phoenix, AZ (22%); and Minneapolis, MN (22%).

The "Top 10" communities with the greatest number of students enrolled in public charter schools are: Los Angeles, CA (59,122), Detroit, MI (43,035), Philadelphia, PA (32,579), Houston, TX (29,889), Chicago, IL (28,973), Washington, D.C. (25,729), Miami-Dade County, FL (23,865), New York City, NY (21,367), New Orleans, LA (20,068), and Broward County, FL (19,867).

To see charter school market share data by state, visit the Public Charter Schools Dashboard at http://www.publiccharters.org/dashboard/students/.

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (www.publiccharters.org) is the national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. The Alliance works to increase the number of high performing charter schools available to all families, particularly low-income and minority families who currently do not have access to quality public schools. Today, more than 1.5 million students attend over 4,900 charter schools in 39 states and the District of Columbia.