1. How Many Charter Schools and Students Are There?
Top Takeaways (2024-25 School Year)
- Charter schools serve nearly 4 million students, representing 8.0% or about 1 in 12 public school students nationwide.
- In the 2024-25 school year, charter schools enrolled students in 44 states, plus DC, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
- Enrollment in charter schools grew by more than 515,000 students in five years, an increase of nearly 15%. During that same period, district enrollment declined by nearly 2 million students, or about 4%.
- Five states educate more than half (51.5%) of all charter students: California, Texas, Florida, Arizona, and New York.
- Alabama, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia, three places where charter school laws are still new, saw impressive enrollment growth from 2023-24 to 2024-25, at 22%, 50%, and 48%, respectively.
Why It Matters
Charter schools aren’t just growing — they’re reshaping what public education looks like for millions of families. Parents are “voting with their feet,” choosing charter schools that prepare students to succeed in school and in life. Over the last five years, enrollment in charter schools has grown nearly 15%.
Growth and Accountability
One of the defining strengths of the charter school sector is real accountability. Because students aren’t mandated to attend them — and can leave anytime — charter schools have to deliver what they promise to students and families. Charters that consistently fail to do so close. Some states, like Ohio, automatically revoke the charters of underperforming schools.
- In 2023-24, only 2.0% of charter schools closed, with most closing because of low academic performance, low enrollment, or financial challenges closely tied to enrollment.
- Over the last decade (from 2014-15 to 2023-24), the average closure rate has been just 3.0%, demonstrating the overall success and stability of charter schools.
- Only 4% of new schools close in their first year, typically because of facility or startup issues.
This accountability builds family and community trust. When a charter school doesn’t meet performance benchmarks, it is phased out to make room for stronger options. Far from signaling instability, closures show that states hold charter schools to a higher standard; quality education for students comes first.
Figure 1.1: Number of Charter Students and Schools From 1992–93 Through 2024-25
A Nationwide Movement
Charter schools are a nationwide movement. As of October 2026, families in 45 states, plus DC, Puerto Rico, and Guam, have access to public charter schools. Charter school laws are on the books in 46 states, plus DC, PR, and GU. North Dakota schools are expected to open in fall 2027.
New charter schools open every year, and the pace picked up in 2024-25: there were 231 new school or campus openings nationwide, up from 219 the year before. A few states posted especially strong growth:
- Texas opened 64 new charter schools or campuses, the most in the country and double its total from the year before.
- Ohio added 17 new schools and campuses, the second most nationwide.
- Minnesota, the birthplace of the charter movement, continues to show vitality with 16 new schools and campuses in 2024-25.
Together, these three states accounted for 42% of all new openings nationwide, proof that where strong choices exist, families respond with demand.
Figure 1.2: Total Number of Charter Schools and Campuses by State, 2024-25
Where States Drive Enrollment Growth?
Charter schools may be national, but a handful of states drive more than half of all enrollment. Five (California, Texas, Florida, Arizona, and New York) educate 51.5% of charter students across the country.
- California leads the nation with the largest charter school sector. Nearly 1 in 5 charter students nationwide goes to school in California, more than in most entire states’ public school systems.
- Arizona is the national standout in terms of enrollment share. About 1 in 5 public school students in Arizona attends a charter school, making it the state where families choose charters at the highest rate.
- Texas, Florida, and New York round out the top five, together showing that charter demand spans every region of the country, from the West Coast to the Sunbelt to the Northeast.
These states show how scale and demand go hand in hand: where families are given real choices, charter schools thrive.
Figure 1.3: States With the Largest Charter School Enrollment
How Are Charter Schools Adapting to a Changing Education Landscape
The pandemic reshaped how families thought about schooling, and charter schools demonstrated their flexibility to meet students where they are.
- Brick-and-mortar charters have shown steady, long-term growth, rising from 3.13 million students in 2019-20 (pre-pandemic) to 3.48 million in 2024-25. Families continue to choose in-person charter schools that prepare students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the future.
- Virtual charters were stable before the pandemic, serving about 9% to 10% of charter students year after year. In 2020-21, demand surged, pushing virtual enrollment to 12.9% of the charter sector, the single biggest jump in modern charter history.
- As students returned to classrooms, virtual enrollment dipped (12.6% in 2021-22; 11.7% in 2022-23), but it has since rebounded to 12.4% in 2024-25, showing the virtual sector stabilized at a higher baseline than before COVID.
Charter schools aren’t static. They adapt to family demand, whether through dynamic brick-and-mortar programs or resilient virtual options that remain a lasting share of the movement.
