More of the nation's schoolchildren are enrolling in public charter schools, according to a new report by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Last year, 14 communities had at least 20 percent of their students enrolled in public charter schools, up from eight communities three years ago.
For the third straight year, New Orleans topped the charts with 57 percent of students enrolled in public charters, followed by Washington D.C. (36 percent) and Detroit (32 percent).
In Utah, Alpine and Jordan school districts have the most students attending charter schools by virtue of their size. That was before Jordan was divided.
But the Utah districts with the highest charter enrollment rates are Salt Lake City and Ogden. About 15 percent of Salt Lake City School District's 27,837 students were enrolled in charter schools in 2008-09. In Ogden, charter enrollment reached 12 percent.
The survey, now in its fourth year, shows the charter movement continuing to gain traction, said Brian Allen, Chairman of the Utah State Charter Board. "Charter schools are a good public option for parents who aren't finding something that works for their child at their neighborhood school. It's not for everyone, but it makes us more educationally diverse."
Utah is among several states red-flagged by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan for capping charter school enrollment, which he said could disadvantage states bidding for federal "Race to the Top" funds. But Utah's most ardent charter school supporters, including consultant Lincoln Fillmore, think the current "cap" is reasonable, allowing for manageable growth while keeping up with demand.
Under state law, Utah's charter school population (currently about 29,000, or 5 percent of the student population) can grow by 1.4 percent of the total public education population each year.
Charter growth in Utah is well below that ceiling, said Allen, whose board recently approved only two of the seven charter schools that applied to open in fall 2011.
"We're getting more particular. I'd like to see those schools re-apply. They just weren't quite ready," said Allen. "I wouldn't advocate rapid growth for the sake of growth. We need to work on intelligent growth."
