Commentary

Charter School Enrollment in California Triples!

More California kids attend charter schools. This is good news for kids in both the actual charter schools and the public schools that are competing with the charters. Enrollment in California charter schools has nearly tripled over the past two years as interest among parents has gained momentum, officials said Tuesday. Los Angeles Unified helped boost those gains, adding 20 campuses this year, or about 9,000 new students, according to the California Charter School Association. There are now 86 charter schools within the LAUSD, with more than 37,717 students enrolled. Across the state, more than 80 new charter schools opened in September, adding 32,000 new students to the roster, an 18 percent increase over last year. A total of 212,000 students now attend 574 charter schools. The charter association reports that one in 20 public schools statewide is a public charter school. In California approximately 5 percent of children are in charters. Parents continue to demand more options for their children and waiting lists continue to be long.