Charter schools have historically served proportionately more students of color and more students from low-income communities than district schools. For the past 17 years (2005-06 to 2021-22 school years), charter schools have consistently had a higher portion of students of color compared to district schools. According to the most recently available data (2021-22 school year), 70.7% of charter school students, versus 53.8% of district school students, were students of color. Charter schools have also consistently served a higher percentage of students who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch (FRPL) from the 2005-06 to 2021-22 school years. In the 2021-22 school year, 59% of charter school students received FRPL compared to 50.3% in district schools.
Out of all students of color, Black and Hispanic students currently and historically make up most of this group. In the 2021-22 school year, they made up 60.5% of the charter school population and 42.2% of the district school population. Black and Hispanic students composed 55% to 60% of the charter school population from 2005-06 to 2021-22. In district schools during the same time frame, these groups of students had, at most, 42.2% of the enrollment.
In both charter and district schools, the percentage of students who are Hispanic, Asian, and of other ethnicities (including American Indian, Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, Hawaiian Native, and Two or More Races) has increased since the 2005-06 school year, while percentages of Black and White students have decreased slightly. From 2005-06 to 2021-22, Asian student enrollment in charter schools increased from 3.5% to 4.3% and enrollment of students of other ethnicities nearly doubled from 2.9% to 5.9%. Hispanic students in charter schools saw the highest percentage of enrollment growth, increasing from 22% of all charter school students in 2005-06 to 36.1% in 2021-22. The percentage of Black students decreased from 31.6% to 24.4% and White students decreased from 39.9% to 29.3%.
For state-by-state breakdowns of charter and district school demographics in the most recent available school year, please see the Tables and Figures section on the National Alliance’s data dashboard.
Table 2.1: Charter School Student Demographics
| Year | Total | Asian | Black | Hispanic | White | Other | FRPL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 1,020,533 | 3.5% | 31.6% | 22.0% | 39.9% | 2.9% | 52.7% |
| 2006-07 | 1,160,003 | 3.6% | 30.9% | 23.6% | 38.6% | 3.2% | 51.5% |
| 2007-08 | 1,278,106 | 3.8% | 31.4% | 24.2% | 38.3% | 2.3% | 52.8% |
| 2008-09 | 1,438,509 | 3.8% | 30.6% | 24.7% | 37.5% | 3.3% | 54.6% |
| 2009-10 | 1,611,568 | 3.8% | 29.9% | 25.7% | 36.8% | 3.8% | 56.9% |
| 2010-11 | 1,792,997 | 3.3% | 28.8% | 27.2% | 36.1% | 4.7% | 58.4% |
| 2011-12 | 2,060,138 | 3.5% | 28.8% | 28.0% | 35.5% | 4.2% | 56.5% |
| 2012-13 | 2,271,860 | 3.7% | 27.6% | 29.1% | 35.3% | 4.2% | 59.3% |
| 2013-14 | 2,527,799 | 3.7% | 27.1% | 30.0% | 34.9% | 4.3% | 59.4% |
| 2014-15 | 2,723,622 | 3.8% | 27.0% | 30.7% | 34.0% | 4.4% | 59.4% |
| 2015-16 | 2,866,814 | 3.9% | 26.8% | 31.6% | 33.0% | 4.7% | 58.3% |
| 2016-17 | 3,033,344 | 4.0% | 26.5% | 32.5% | 32.2% | 4.9% | 57.3% |
| 2017-18 | 3,170,471 | 4.0% | 25.8% | 33.1% | 31.9% | 5.1% | 58.3% |
| 2018-19 | 3,323,014 | 4.1% | 25.4% | 34.0% | 31.3% | 5.1% | 58.8% |
| 2019-20 | 3,456,978 | 4.2% | 24.9% | 35.3% | 30.3% | 5.3% | 58.7% |
| 2020-21 | 3,697,573 | 4.2% | 24.3% | 35.1% | 30.7% | 5.7% | 59.6% |
| 2021-22 | 3,682,526 | 4.3% | 24.4% | 36.1% | 29.3% | 5.9% | 59.0% |
Table 2.2: District School Student Demographics
| Year | Total | Asian | Black | Hispanic | White | Other | FRPL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 48,678,877 | 4.7% | 16.6% | 20.5% | 56.2% | 2.0% | 42.5% |
| 2006-07 | 48,584,157 | 4.7% | 16.4% | 21.0% | 55.5% | 2.5% | 43.7% |
| 2007-08 | 48,268,596 | 4.8% | 16.3% | 21.7% | 55.0% | 2.3% | 44.3% |
| 2008-09 | 48,274,188 | 4.8% | 16.2% | 22.0% | 54.2% | 2.9% | 45.8% |
| 2009-10 | 48,034,331 | 4.9% | 16.0% | 22.6% | 53.5% | 3.0% | 47.9% |
| 2010-11 | 47,961,937 | 4.6% | 15.3% | 23.6% | 52.4% | 4.0% | 49.2% |
| 2011-12 | 47,711,241 | 4.7% | 15.1% | 24.3% | 51.8% | 4.1% | 48.4% |
| 2012-13 | 47,702,043 | 4.8% | 14.9% | 24.7% | 51.2% | 4.5% | 51.6% |
| 2013-14 | 47,698,065 | 4.8% | 14.8% | 25.2% | 50.5% | 4.7% | 52.1% |
| 2014-15 | 47,715,576 | 4.9% | 14.7% | 25.8% | 50.0% | 4.6% | 52.1% |
| 2015-16 | 47,755,343 | 5.0% | 14.6% | 26.1% | 49.4% | 4.8% | 52.4% |
| 2016-17 | 47,706,328 | 5.1% | 14.5% | 26.5% | 48.8% | 5.1% | 51.7% |
| 2017-18 | 47,625,020 | 5.2% | 14.4% | 26.8% | 48.2% | 5.4% | 52.0% |
| 2018-19 | 47,423,047 | 5.3% | 14.3% | 27.1% | 47.8% | 5.5% | 51.9% |
| 2019-20 | 47,383,787 | 5.4% | 14.1% | 27.5% | 47.2% | 5.8% | 51.7% |
| 2020-21 | 45,721,736 | 5.5% | 14.2% | 27.8% | 46.6% | 5.9% | 52.8% |
| 2021-22 | 45,772,045 | 5.5% | 14.1% | 28.1% | 46.2% | 6.1% | 50.3% |
About the Authors
Natalie Camarena Lopez
Manager, Data and Research
Prior to joining the research team at the National Alliance, Natalie worked in research and evaluation for community-based youth development organizations in New York and Chicago. She received her master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Public Health and City Planning.