Several big whoppers are regularly told regarding open-enrollment public charter schools. The conversation generally goes like this, “I’m not against charter schools, but…
- “Open-enrollment public charter schools take resources from the local school district.
- “Applying to a charter school takes a more motivated parent.
- FALSE. Compare difficulty/ease of registration/enrollment below:
- “Charter schools ‘cream’ the highest performing students.
| School/District | Enrollment | SPED | FRL | White | Hispanic | Black | Other | Minority |
| LRSD | 22,567 | 12% | 71% | 18% | 14% | 64% | 4% | 82% |
| All LR Charters | 4,244 | 7% (295) | 50% (2,106) | 23% (982) | 15% (647) | 53% (2,253) | 8% (354) | 77% (3,270) |
| eStem | 1,462 | 8% (117) | 30% (439) | 40% (585) | 6% (88) | 47% (687) | 6% (88) | 60% (877) |
| LISA Academy Chenal | 356 | 5% (18) | 35% (125) | 20% (71) | 16% (57) | 38% (145) | 26% (93) | 84% (299) |
| LISA Academy 7-8 | 540 | 4% (22) | 57% (307) | 14% (77) | 21% (113) | 49% (265) | 16% (86) | 86% (464) |
| LISA Academy High | 365 | 6% (22) | 42% (153) | 24% (88) | 17% (62) | 47% (172) | 12% (44) | 76% (277) |
| LR Prep | 411 | 9% (37) | 84% (345) | 1% (4) | 10% (41) | 89% (366) | 0% (0) | 99% (407) |
| Exalt | 307 | 4% (12) | 96% (295) | 2% (6) | 51% (157) | 45% (138) | 1% (3) | 98% (300) |
| Premier | 109 | 11% (12) | 23% (25) | 9% (10) | 3% (3) | 88% (96) | 0% (0) | 91% (99) |
| SIA Tech | 171 | 3% (5) | 82% (140) | 3% (5) | 5% (9) | 91% (156) | 1% (2) | 97% (166) |
| Covenant Keepers | 180 | 4% (7) | 94% (169) | 0% (0) | 53% (95) | 46% (83) | 1% (2) | 100% (180) |
| Quest | 192 | 17% (32) | 12% (23) | 60% (115) | 7% (13) | 22% (42) | 11% (21) | 40% (77) |
| Rockbridge | 151 | 7% (11) | 56% (85) | 18% (27) | 6% (9) | 68% (103) | 9% (14) | 82% (124) |
- “Charter schools are “racist,” “segregative,” “disproportionately favor White students.”
Have other concerns regarding open-enrollment public charter schools in Arkansas? Share them, and we’ll share the facts.