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Charter schools, which are based on contracts between an education authority and an individual school, continue to be the most prominent example of privatization in education. Since the first charter school law was passed in 1992, the charter school sector has expanded across the United States. As of 2012 more than 2 million students attend charter schools in 41 states and the District of Columbia. These students represent almost 5 percent of the total enrollment in public schools.1 In addition to those already enrolled in charter schools, more than 610,000 students across the country are on waiting lists to attend charter schools-a number likely to rise in the future due the growing demand for charter school enrollment.
In 2012 school districts’ share of students attending charter schools hit a record high. According to an annual report released in November 2012 by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS), seven districts have at least 30 percent of their public school students enrolled in public charter schools, 25 districts have 20 percent or more of their public school students enrolled in charter schools, and more than 100 districts now have at least 10 percent of public school students in charter schools.2
Additional key findings of the report include:
New Orleans continues to have top market share: Charter schools in New Orleans increased their market share to serve 76 percent of public school students in the 2011-12 school year. In addition to having the highest percentage of public school students enrolled in charters in the nation, New Orleans charter schools are showing impressive performance, and are approaching Louisiana state average educational achievement-an accomplishment rarely achieved by urban public schools.
Eight new districts made the list for top market share: The top 10 districts by charter school market share percentage now includes 20 districts due to ties in percentages. The eight new districts are: San Antonio; Indianapolis; Roosevelt, AZ; Adams County, CO; Grand Rapids, MI; Philadelphia; Milwaukee, and Phoenix Union High, AZ. Figure 1 shows the percentage of charter school students by district for the 20 school districts with the highest percentage of public school students in charter schools.
Table 1 below shows the top districts serving the highest percentage of public charter school students.
Table 1: Districts Serving the Highest Percentage of Public Charter School Students
| 2012 Rank | School District | State | Charter Market Share | Total District Enroll | Rank in 2011 | Market Share 2011 |
| 1 | New Orleans Public School System | LA | 76% | 42,695 | 1 | 70% |
| 2 | Detroit Public Schools | MI | 41% | 113,712 | 3 | 37% |
| District of Columbia Public Schools | DC | 41% | 76,753 | 2 | 39% | |
| 3 | Kansas City, Missouri School District | MO | 37% | 26,564 | 4 | 35% |
| 4 | Flint City School District | MI | 33% | 14,312 | 5 | 32% |
| 5 | Gary Community School Corporation | IN | 31% | 14,770 | 6 | 30% |
| St. Louis Public Schools | MO | 31% | 35,820 | 7 | 29% | |
| 6 | Cleveland Metropolitan School District | OH | 28% | 57,413 | 10 | 23% |
| 7 | Albany City School District | NY | 26% | 10,810 | 10 | 23% |
| Dayton Public Schools | OH | 26% | 22,321 | 8 | 27% | |
| San Antonio Independent School District | TX | 26% | 59,243 | – | 21% | |
| 8 | Indianapolis Public Schools | IN | 25% | 42,688 | – | 22% |
| Roosevelt School District 60 | AZ | 25% | 14,148 | – | 19% | |
| Toledo Public Schools | OH | 25% | 33,008 | 10 | 23% | |
| Youngstown City Schools | OH | 25% | 10,183 | 9 | 24% | |
| 9 | Adams County Schools 50 | CO | 23% | 12,680 | – | 22% |
| Grand Rapids Public Schools | MI | 23% | 22,058 | – | 20% | |
| The School District of Philadelphia | PA | 23% | 201,063 | – | 20% | |
| 10 | Milwaukee Public Schools | WI | 22% | 85,994 | – | 19% |
| Phoenix Union High School District | AZ | 22% | 33,378 | – | 19% |
Source: A Growing Movement: America’s Largest Charter School Communities. (Washington: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2012).
Seven school districts reach at least 30 percent market share: These school districts include New Orleans (76 percent); Detroit (41 percent); District of Columbia (41 percent); Kansas City, MO (37 percent); Flint, MI (33 percent); Gary, IN (31 percent), and newly joining St. Louis (31 percent).
Twenty-five school districts are at 20 percent or more: The number of school districts with 20 percent or more public charter school market share increased the most in the 2011-12 school year and will likely continue to grow. Figure 2 below shows the growth in the number of school districts with at least 20 percent market share for charter schools.
Three school districts repeat top growth two years in a row: Los Angeles, Memphis and New York City made the top 10 list for charter school enrollment growth two years in a row. The three districts increased charter school enrollment by 52,502 students between 2009-10 and 2011-12, a two year growth rate of 52 percent. Figure 3 shows the growth in the number of charter school students from 2011 to 2012 for the top 10 districts serving the highest number of charter school students.
Table 2 shows the total number of students enrolled in each district that ranks in the top ten for the highest number of public charter school students.
Table 2: Districts Serving the Highest Number of Public Charter School Students
| 2012 Rank | School District | State | Charter Enroll | Total District Enroll | Rank in 2011 | Charter Enrollment in 2011 |
| 1 | Los Angeles Unified School District | CA | 98,576 | 661,301 | 1 | 79,385 |
| 2 | New York City Department of Education | NY | 48,057 | 1,018,817 | 4 | 38,743 |
| 3 | Detroit Public Schools | MI | 47,086 | 113,712 | 2 | 45,073 |
| 4 | The School District of Philadelphia | PA | 46,801 | 201,063 | 3 | 40,322 |
| 5 | Chicago Public Schools | IL | 44,870 | 403,385 | 5 | 37,909 |
| 6 | Miami-Dade County Public Schools | FL | 41,767 | 350,227 | 7 | 35,380 |
| 7 | Houston Independent School District | TX | 40,549 | 228,574 | 6 | 37,499 |
| 8 | New Orleans Public School System | LA | 32,597 | 42,695 | 9 | 27,728 |
| 9 | District of Columbia Public Schools | DC | 31,562 | 76,753 | 8 | 29,366 |
| 10 | Broward County Public Schools | FL | 30,438 | 259,133 | 10 | 24,150 |
Source: A Growing Movement: America’s Largest Charter School Communities. (Washington: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2012).
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Endnotes
1 A Growing Movement: America’s Largest Charter School Communities. (Washington: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2012).
2 Ibid.