Quality

Advocates argue that charter schools will improve education for everyone, even for those who don’t attend them, but that’s not what the research says.

• One of the best research studies on charter schools—published by the U.S. Department of Education—indicates that there is no difference between the overall average achievement of students who attend charters vs. those who do not, as well as no differences in attendance, homework completion, and safety and discipline.
  
• A 2009 CREDO study that included about 70 percent of students currently enrolled in charter schools throughout the country found that while in a few cases charter schools do a good job, in most cases, they perform no better and are frequently worse than traditional public schools.
  
• The 2009 CREDO report also suggested that increasing the number of charter schools in not the answer. Of the states doing the worst—Texas, Florida, Ohio, Arizona, Minnesota and New Mexico—the first four have 300 or more charter schools and rank below only California in the total number of charters. The states with charter schools outperforming non-charter public schools have fewer charter schools: Arkansas, Illinois (Chicago) and Missouri have fewer than 100 charters each, and Colorado has 140.
  
• A 2013 follow-up CREDO study showed some improvement, but the findings remained mixed.