Chicago charter public schools serve the same population as the neighboring traditional public schools and achieve striking results.

Charters serve:

• 83% students from low-income families¹
• 65% of Illinois' charter students are African American and 26% are Latino¹

Charters achieve:

• On average, all K-8 charter public schools in Chicago posted higher combined scores on statewide tests of reading, math and science (Illinois Standards Achievement Test) than the district wide average.²
• All charter high schools in Chicago scored better on state math and reading tests (PSAE) than neighboring traditional schools.²
• 32% more charter public school students overall attend selective or very selective colleges than the Chicago system average.⁴

• Students in Chicago's charter high schools:

• are more likely to graduate (77%) versus only 66% for the district²
• 76% attend postsecondary education³
• are much less likely to be truant (93.1% attendance) or to transfer to another school (9.1% transfer out rate) ²
• The average eighth-grade charter student continuing on to a charter high school can result in an advantage of 7 percentage points in the probability of graduating from high school and an 11 percentage points in the likelihood of enrolling in college⁵

Charters are in demand:

• 13,000 public school students on charter waiting lists. ¹

Charter public schools are structured to support the needs of both students and teachers.

• With an average of 20 students per class, as well as a longer school day, averaging 45 more minutes of instruction a day, charter schools provide students more individual attention and time on task.

Charter public schools attract highly-motivated, highly-qualified teachers.

• 75% of Chicago charter public school teachers are state certified, the remaining come from professions other than teaching. In other words, charter schools are allowed to go outside the mainstream route to find talented professionals.
• All charter public school teachers meet federal No Child Left Behind and state standards above and beyond certification, including a bachelor's degree, oftentimes a master's degree in their field, five years or more of professional experience, and successful completion of state exams of basic skills and relevant subject matter.
• Charter teachers receive twice the ongoing training of other public schools teachers.

Charter public schools deserve equal funding and an equal opportunity to serve public school students in Illinois.

• Of the ten largest states, Illinois has the most restrictive cap on the number of charters, the fewest number of charter schools, and the fewest communities offering charters as a public education choice.
• Charter schools receive significantly less funding per student than traditional public schools. Under the current law, charter public schools can receive up to 25% less per pupil than the same students would get in a district-operated school.
• Charter schools are barred from accessing the construction financing programs that are open to traditional public schools.
• Traditional schools count on state or school district funds to help with startup costs, but Illinois' charter startups have received zero funding since 2003. Last year, the charter public school start-up grants would have provided $250 per pupil to 14,000 public school students in Illinois.

¹ 2008 ISBE Illinois Charter School Annual Report
² CPS Office of New Schools 2005/06 Annual Performance Report
³ Illinois Charter School Data Survey, 2005
⁴ Consortium on Chicago School Research at Uof C: From High School to the Future 2006
⁵ RAND Corporation: “Achievement and Attainment in Chicago Charter Schools” May 2008