Majority of Charter School Students are Latino and Low-Income, Overwhelming Majority of California Parents Support Charter Public Schools
LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, local families, school leaders, and public education advocates gathered at Ednovate’s USC Hybrid High College Prep in South Los Angeles to celebrate 30 years of California charter public schools. In September 1992, the Charter Schools Act (SB 1448), authored by state Senator Gary K. Hart, was signed-into law and gave teachers, parents, and local leaders the autonomy and flexibility to create schools for the community and by the community known as charter public schools.
In California, every charter is free and open to any member of the public, regardless of income, zip code, disability, race, sexual orientation, religion, or zip code. Today, there are approximately 1,300 charter public schools serving 700,000 students across the Golden State. The majority of charter public school students in California are low-income (57%) and Latino (52%).
“For 30 years, charter public schools have provided millions of families with more public school options to help their child succeed in college, career, and life,” said CCSA President and CEO Myrna Castrejón. California Charter Schools were founded on the guiding principles of equity and inclusion with the promise to reimagine education. Today, we are celebrating the educators who have embraced promise, creativity and innovation that can continue to reimagine public education for the next 30 years. They have enriched the lives of the more than 8 million students that have attended California charter public schools.”
A recent poll, conducted Goodwin Simon Strategic Research and commissioned by CCSA, found public support for charter schools in the Golden State has reached a new high at 55 percent, with the strongest support for charters among parents at 70 percent, up from 56 percent just last year. Additionally, the statewide survey finds that charter schools enjoy majority support among Black and Latino voters, and especially among Spanish-speaking Latinos at 63 percent.
The celebration, which is part of CCSA’s “Charters at 30” campaign, was held at USC Hybrid High College Prep, the flagship campus of Ednovate’s high-performing network of independent and free charter public schools. The school was founded through a partnership with the USC Rossier College of Education and uses a research-backed model that has resulted in 100% of Hybrid High graduates being accepted to a four-year college or university.
The school combines a rigorous, high-expectations academic model with a blended-learning, technology-rich program that is tailored to each student’s individual classroom and support needs. Their state-of-the-art campus, located next to USC, offers a 21st century learning environment and a wide range of athletic and extracurricular activities.
“Ednovate is proud to commemorate the 30th anniversary of charter legislation in California and to demonstrate how our campuses have provided a high-quality education to thousands of students,” said Oliver Sicat, CEO of Ednovate, which has six campuses and a virtual program in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. “The willingness to innovate and partner with our elected officials, our community partners, USC, and business leaders shows that great things can happen quickly for our students when we work together.”
About California Charter Public Schools:
Charter schools are public schools that follow the same academic performance requirements as traditional district schools set forth by state and local education agencies. These public schools are created by the community, providing educators the flexibility to design instructional models that put students first and deliver a high-quality education. The flexibility and adaptability of a charter public school provides educators the freedom from bureaucracy to design an education that can help students succeed in college, career, and life.
California’s 1,300 charter public schools are non-profit and offer parents more opportunities at a high-quality public education that meets the unique needs of their child. Not all children learn the same and charter public schools offer parents a choice in their child’s education that can help the student succeed.
Parents choose charter public schools to provide their children additional support in certain subjects or to help keep them engaged and challenged. Charter public schools also offer parents options for their children to learn at home. A charter public school may also focus on specialized learning like a magnet school, but it will not set prerequisites or require testing.
California charter public schools serve a diverse population that similar to that of traditional public schools. The 2020-21 charter public school student population consisted of:
- 57% Low-income
- 52% Latino
- 27% White
- 14% English learners
- 10% Students with disabilities
- 7% Black
Latino families are increasingly choosing charter public schools for their child’s education and are increasingly well-represented among charter public school students – increasing by 5% over the past seven years.