The fastest growing charter schools in North Carolina: What we can learn

General Assembly should consider facilities grants in rural areas

North Carolina’s charter school boom shows no signs of slowing.

The state saw the fifth-highest charter school enrollment gain between the start of the 2019-20 school year and the end of the 2021-22 year, according to a new report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. North Carolina’s charter schools gained more than 14,000 students (12% growth) during that time period, while traditional public schools shed more than 48,000 (down 3%).

Only Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Arizona had larger enrollment increases in state charters. North Carolina’s growth was fueled primarily by students of color, with rapid a increase in the number of Hispanic students in particular.

Source: Report to the General Assembly, Office of Charter Schools (June 2022)

This rise in North Carolina’s charter school enrollment is boosted by a steady stream of new charters, as well as rapid growth in a few of the state’s most popular campuses.

What are parents looking for in a charter school?

To atte…