This week the U.S. News and World Report published its annual ranking for best schools in each state.

Six out of the 10 best schools in Utah were charter schools. Again – just like last year.

Why is it that charter schools tend to do so well? Perhaps it’s because they have the space to innovate, try new things, and find what works versus what doesn’t.

Charter schools are public schools that have increased autonomy to try innovative approaches to education and to operate within specific emphases or missions.

The Utah charter schools that placed in the top 10 ranking were Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy, InTech Collegiate High School, Academy for Math Engineering and Science, Northern Utah Academy for Math Engineering and Science, Itineris Early College High, and American Preparatory Academy.

Of course, being a charter school does not necessarily make a school innovative in meaningful ways. And certainly, charter schools do not have a monopoly on innovation or success or creativity.

Four traditional public schools were also highlighted in the list: Skyline High, Corner Canyon High, Timpview High and Davis High.

Each school has its own culture and recipe for success, which undoubtedly includes the students, the teachers, the administrators, and the families that enroll their children.

Still, the high number of charter schools that rank as the best schools may suggest that innovation plays an important part in finding success – allowing a school to separate from the pack, in order to find both the good and the bad outcomes.

As we said in our 2019 Sutherland Institute publication Innovation in Education, “Moving our culture in [an innovative] direction will require all to accept some uncertainty. It will demand that we express some humility about what will improve education. None of us knows everything, which is why innovation and the space for it may, over time, be what leads us in the right direction.”

We look forward to seeing what innovations continue to lead the way to better outcomes for students.