New Orleans Ranks #1 in Top Ten Public Charter School Communities by Market Share

New Orleans Ranks #1 in Top Ten Public Charter School Communities by Market
Share

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New Orleans ranks #1 in the
nation for public charter school market share with 57% of public school
students attending charter schools, according to the annual Top 10 Charter
Communities by Market Share report released today by the National Alliance for
Public Charter Schools. New Orleans also is the ninth largest public charter
school community by student enrollment with 20,068 students in public charter
schools.

"With more than half of public school students in charter schools, New Orleans
is uniquely able to demonstrate the potential of charter schooling to bring a
high-quality education to children that need one," said Nelson Smith, National
Alliance for Public Charter Schools President and CEO.

The report finds:
-- Charter Growth Remains Strong: Nationally, there are 14 communities
where more than 20% of public school students are enrolled in
charters,
up from six in 2005-06. 72 communities now have at least 10% of public
school students in charter schools, 27 more than three years ago.
-- 10 Districts Enroll 22% of Charter Students: The 10 districts with the
largest number of students in public charter schools represent 22% of
the total public charter school population nationwide, a total of
304,494 students out of roughly 1.4 million.

-- More than 1/3 of Public School Students in Charters in Three Cities:
Public charter market share breaks 30% of students in Detroit (at
32%),
Washington, D.C. (36%), and New Orleans (57%).

The "Top 10" largest market share public charter school communities (including
ties) are: New Orleans, LA (57%); Washington, D.C. (36%); Detroit, MI (32%);
Kansas City, MO (29%); Dayton, OH (27%); Youngstown, OH (26%); St. Louis, MO
(25%); Flint, MI (24%); Gary, IN (23%); Phoenix, AZ (22%); and Minneapolis, MN
(22%).

The "Top 10" communities with the greatest number of students enrolled in
public charter schools are: Los Angeles, CA (59,122), Detroit, MI (43,035),
Philadelphia, PA (32,579), Houston, TX (29,889), Chicago, IL (28,973),
Washington, D.C. (25,729), Miami-Dade County, FL (23,865), New York City, NY
(21,367), New Orleans, LA (20,068), and Broward County, FL (19,867).

To see charter school market share data by state, visit the Public Charter
Schools Dashboard at http://www.publiccharters.org/dashboard/students/.

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (www.publiccharters.org) is
the national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school
movement. The Alliance works to increase the number of high performing charter
schools available to all families, particularly low-income and minority
families who currently do not have access to quality public schools. Today,
more than 1.5 million students attend over 4,900 charter schools in 39 states
and the District of Columbia.

SOURCE National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

Sarah Johnson of National Alliance for Public Charter Schools,
+1-202-521-2826, pressroom@publiccharters.org