It’s no secret that many Democrats oppose charter schools, claiming that these kinds of institutions “lack accountability,” according to Roll Call. In California, specifically, teachers unions have claimed that banning charter schools from sharing space at district schools would “protect black and Latino students from the disruption and harm that occurs when charters are placed in buildings used by other public schools,” according to Real Clear Investigations.
This week, the New York City Charter School Center said in its analysis that charter school students outperformed their public school peers in the state’s standardized reading and math exams for grades 3 through 8.
The differences were especially stark among black and Hispanic students in math and English Language Arts (ELA), the analysis noted (via NYC Charter School Center):
In 2023, New York City charter schools experienced higher rates of proficiency than New York City district schools, continuing a trend that is more than 15 years long. In ELA, the percentage proficient gap is seven (59% for charter schools to 52% for district schools); in math the gap is 13 percentage points (63% to 50%).1 (We expect NYC charters also outperformed state counterparts, but given the late release by NYSED, we have focused this analysis on NYC charter and district scores.)
The charter sector also saw larger gains in proficiency rates in math between 2022 and 2023 than the district: charter school proficiency rates increased 17 percentage points in math compared to a district increase of 12 percentage points; in ELA the gains were essentially the same (four percentage points for charter schools and three percentage points for district schools). The gains in math are suggestive of a long-standing “charter school instructional effect” in math. We have long recommended that researchers and practitioners take a close look at math instruction in high-performing charter schools.
Black and Hispanic students in NYC charter schools (who make up 90% of enrolled students) continued the trend of achieving much higher rates of proficiency than their counterparts in district schools in both ELA and math. In ELA, Black and Hispanic charter school students outperformed district counterparts by 19 percentage points (59% vs. 40%), and 16 percentage points (55% vs. 39%) respectively. In math, Black and Hispanic charter school students outperformed district counterparts by 27 percentage points (61% vs. 34%), and 25 percentage points (61% vs. 36%), respectively. While further statistical analysis is warranted, these are startlingly large gaps that demand further investigation.
As for children with disabilities, 32 percent in charter schools passed the ELA and 40 percent passed math. This compares to 22 percent and 24 percent, respectively, of special-needs students who passed these exams at public school.
According to the New York Post, NYC now has 274 charter schools that are privately managed and publicly funded to serve 142,500 students.
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“For 25 years, New York City families have trusted charter schools with preparing their children for success in and out of the classroom, and it’s no surprise as to why: charter school students — many of whom come from historically underserved communities — consistently close proficiency gaps, outperform their peers, and excel year after year,” said James Merriman, CEO of the NYC Charter School Center, told the outlet.
The Post noted that students attending Success Academy, the city’s largest charter school network, secured an 80.4 percent pass rate in English and 92.7 percent pass rate in math. Two Success Academy schools, specifically, posted 100 percent pass rates. And, at the four Classical Charter Schools in South Bronx, 90 percent of students passed the English test and 97.7 “excelled” on the math exam.
“We are delighted that so many Classical scholars performed successfully on the recent ELA and math tests. This achievement is particularly noteworthy as it extends to our English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities,” Classical founder and executive director Lester Long told the Post.
“The fact that these special populations excelled on these tests is a testament to our rigorous, data-based, and inclusive program,” he added.
According to the Post, the state legislature worked to restrict the opening of new charter schools this year, “claiming they divert funds and students from traditional public schools, parroting criticism of the United Federation of Teachers union.”
