School districts across the nation, including in the Tampa Bay area, are seeing more students enroll in charter schools rather than traditional public schools.
A report published by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools found that over the last four school years (2019-20 to 2022-23), charter school enrollment increased by 9%. That’s a gain of about 300,000 students.
Meanwhile, traditional public schools saw a net loss of 3.5% as enrollment slowly rebounds from pandemic-related declines.
The trend is mirrored in Florida as well. Statewide student enrollment has increased overall, with charter schools leading the growth.
The number of charter school students statewide increased by 53,148 or from 12% to 13% of total public school enrollment, according to the Florida Department of Education.
Students in the state’s non-charter schools have increased to 2,488,140. However, that’s still down about 41,600 students compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
Out of the 42 states included in the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools analysis, 40 saw an increase in students enrolling in charter schools.
The report states that, while charter schools still make up a small share of the nation’s public school enrollment — about 7.5% — it’s a steadily growing segment of public education.