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Spending and performance: How do charter schools stack up?

August 13, 2024

  • As of October 2023, there were 79,823 students enrolled in charter schools; that means 11.8% of all kids enrolled in Utah public schools are going to charter schools now.
  • In reviewing the 10 Utah charter schools with the highest per pupil spending amounts and the 10 with the lowest per pupil spending, we see that there is not a clear trend between higher per student spending and better performance on metrics found on the school report cards.

School is starting soon, and many families will be sending their child to a charter school. In fact, as of October 2023 there were 79,823 students enrolled in charter schools. That means 11.8% of all kids enrolled in Utah public schools are going to charter schools now.

Earlier this year, we published a review of the 41 public school districts, their per student spending and some of their key outcomes. To understand these metrics for charter schools in Utah, we used those same key transparency tools in the state to look at spending and performance for 140 public charter schools in the state.

Important background

Public school districts and public charter schools are distinct, but both are part of the public school system, and both are considered local education agencies (LEAs), with boards that oversee their work.

Though charter schools receive public funding, they are privately run, meaning they can do some things differently, according to their charters.

Charter schools have enjoyed bipartisan support for many years nationally and have been viewed as a means to bring innovation into the system, create new choices for parents, and even improve district schools.

Comparing districts, district schools and public charter schools

With this backdrop, it’s natural to compare districts and their schools to public charter schools. It’s also important to make the comparison so we can understand whether these options are meeting Utah family needs.

While spending and academic performance are far from the whole discussion on why families choose schools, they can be helpful policy metrics to understand how well a school is doing overall.

Spending

Funding and spending are different but related, so it’s interesting to note that broadly speaking, according to one source, public charter schools receive 81 cents to every tax dollar that a public school district receives. A higher percentage of charter school funding revenue comes from state sources rather than local. This might factor into why sometimes charter schools spend less per pupil than their district counterparts.

In Utah, for example, on average charter schools spend less per student than Utah school districts. Using the financial transparency tool, we see that on average in the 2022-23 school year, Utah public school districts spent $15,416.54 per pupil and Utah charter schools spent $11,285.31 per pupil. (The average per pupil spending for all school types – public and charter – was $11,500 in 2023).

Performance

How charter schools perform compared to their public school district peers has long been a topic of discussion at the state and national level. The debate includes studies pointing in different directions, concluding that charters perform better or worse than public schools. For example, last year a study reversed findings from years ago that found lower charter school performance, showing that charter schools today are outperforming their public schools.

At the individual level, charter schools seem to be able to punch above their weight. According to U.S. News and World Report rankings, Utah charter schools claimed five of the spots among the top 10 performing high schools in the entire state. That’s impressive, especially considering Utah public charter schools make up only 13.6% of all public schools in the state.

A closer look at Utah charter schools

In reviewing the 10 Utah charter schools with the highest per pupil spending amounts and the 10 with the lowest per pupil spending, we see that there is not a clear trend between higher per student spending and better performance on metrics found on the school report cards. In fact, the 10 schools that spent the least in per pupil spending earned more “exemplary” scores on metrics like achievement, growth, English Learner Progress, and Postsecondary Readiness than those that spent the most.

Conclusion

Charter schools are an important part of the public education system that more parents are taking advantage of than ever. While it can be difficult to assess their value simply in terms of comparison to district schools or how they perform with the amount of money they spend, we know families value them. For that reason, we ought to examine those that perform well while keeping spending low – and see how we can offer the best to Utah families.

Isabelle Steed contributed research to this article.

Insights: analysis, research, and informed commentary from Sutherland experts. For elected officials and public policy professionals.

  • As of October 2023, there were 79,823 students enrolled in charter schools; that means 11.8% of all kids enrolled in Utah public schools are going to charter schools now.
  • In reviewing the 10 Utah charter schools with the highest per pupil spending amounts and the 10 with the lowest per pupil spending, we see that there is not a clear trend between higher per student spending and better performance on metrics found on the school report cards.

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