BREAKING: STATES CONTINUE TO MAKE STRIDES TO INCREASE CHARTER SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES, DESPITE OPPOSITION EFFORTS


More laws expanded and improved in the last six months than previous six years.
Florida jumps to top of National Charter Law Rankings.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In yet another demonstration of state resolve to solve the education crisis, more charter school laws have been expanded and improved in the last six months than there were in the previous six years.

These state policy changes follow the trajectory of the increasing educational opportunities across all sectors created just this year in 14 states alone. 

“The tide for charter schooling, despite having to fight uphill regularly against the education establishment and the unions, continues to turn toward power for parents,” said CER’s Jeanne Allen. This is why our annual charter law rankings since 1999 have been an integral part of our Parent Power! Index.

Major changes to the nation’s leading rankings of charter school laws resulting from state action in 2021 include:

• Florida jumped from #5 to #1, with universities added as sponsors, increased autonomy for charter schools, and more equity;
• West Virginia’s new law brought its rank to #14, placing them right between leading pioneers North Carolina and Missouri;
• Georgia, Indiana, and Iowa made modest changes, which, while not enough to move their rank, is a sure sign that policymakers are beginning to think more clearly about the importance of educational options.

“Throughout COVID, charter schools like ours demonstrated their natural ability to move quickly and deliver for kids in the face of an unprecedented crisis,” said Donald Hense, CER Board Secretary and Founder of Friendship Public Charter Schools.

“It is owing to a strong but fragile charter school law in the District of Columbia that we and hundreds like us in states with strong charter school laws can put children at the center of our work every day,”  said Hense. “We salute all who are seeking equity for children and encourage more states to create better educational options for children.” 

Since 1996, CER’s National Charter School Law Rankings and Scorecard has been the critical national measure for policymakers and education leaders of the extent to which charter school laws do what they were intended to do — foster the creation of diverse, independent public schools that provide a maximum number of families with options. To review the latest rankings visit the rankings homepage on edreform.com. For a complete analysis of each charter school law, along with other state policy efforts, check out the interactive Parent Power! Index.

Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education.