The number of students attending public charter schools in New Jersey surpassed 25,000 for the first time, according to figures released today by the New Jersey Charter Schools Association.

New Jersey has 80 charter schools with 26,730 students, according to the Association, which based its figures on 2011-12 enrollment data submitted on Oct. 15 to the state Department of Education.

Student enrollment in public charter schools increased by 16.7 percent from the 2010-11 school year to the 2011-12 school year, marking the largest single-year increase ever recorded in terms of new students attending charters.

In total, eight charter schools opened in the 2011-12 school year, while 47 expanded. At the same time, 20,000 students remain on multiple wait lists to attend the public school of their choice.

In Newark, 7,921 students are attending 18 charter schools, a 20 percent growth from the previous year. Newark saw three new charter schools open this year, People's Prep, Roseville Community and Great Oaks while existing schools such as North Star Academy and TEAM Academy opened new campuses.

"This dramatic growth for New Jersey charter schools is empowering parents by giving them access to high-quality options for their child's education," said Carlos Perez, president and CEO of the New Jersey Charter Schools Association.

"From Newark to Camden, Princeton to Paterson, charter schools are meeting the needs of New Jersey's families," Perez said. "We look forward to working with charter operators, administrators and teachers to ensure that each student in the state, regardless of race, income-level or demographic location, has access to a high-quality public education."

Results from the 2010-2011 school year show continued growth in overall academic achievement of students enrolled in charter schools. According to state testing results, public charter schools schools are outperforming districts in the aggregate in cities such as Newark, Camden and Jersey City. In addition, charter schools in these districts are performing higher when students are analyzed according to grade level and both socioeconomic status and race.

The New Jersey Department of Education announced this past September that there will be more high-quality charter schools opening in the Fall of 2012. The state is becoming a leader in charter school authorizing procedure, with evaluations aligning with national best practices identified by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers.

In addition to eight new schools opening this year, two charter schools were closed for a variety of reasons, including low enrollment, financial challenges and low academic performance. The closures provide further evidence that the charter school model works — schools that do not meet the needs of their students should close.

Nationally, there are now approximately 5,600 public charter schools enrolling what is estimated to be more than two million students. More than 400,000 students remain on wait lists across the country to attend the public school of their choice.

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that are allowed to be more innovative while being held for accountable for improved student achievement.

Enrollment at Newark Charter Schools

Source: New Jersey Charter Schools Association

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment