After more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries and 4,291 deaths, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Governors in 43 states issued directives ordering residents to stay at home and nonessential business to close.
These orders changed how public education could be delivered. Seventy-seven percent of all public schools moved some or all of their classes to online formats. While many traditional school districts struggled to reopen or provide high-quality remote learning, charter schools responded with flexibility – launching virtual platforms, organizing learning pods, and maintaining continuity for students.
This responsiveness resonated with families. Between 2020 and 2023, charter enrollment grew by over 300,000 students, with particularly strong gains among Black, Latino, and low-income families.
Though the pandemic’s effect on student learning was uneven, one researcher observed that “there is strong evidence that charters affiliated with education management organizations overperformed expectations after accounting for their demographic profile.”[1]
However, this evidence failed to increase support for charter policy in the Biden Administration. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Education proposed dramatic changes to the federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) – changes that would have imposed restrictive new requirements on charter founders and made it more difficult for new schools to open, particularly those serving marginalized communities. In response, a wave of parent-led activism emerged, including a protest at the White House. At the same time, new research helped validate charters’ impact on student learning. In 2023, the Center for Research on Educational Outcomes (“CREDO”) at Stanford University released a study that showed that charter school students gained significantly more academic ground than their district peers, especially in reading and math. These results were strongest for low-income students and students of color. In many states, lawmakers responded by expanding charter access.
[1] Kingsubry, Ian. “Weathering the storm: a descriptive examination of COVID era proficiency changes in charter schools.” Frontiers in Education. September 3, 2024.
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