For three straight years, charter students outperform state averages
Public charter school students continue to outperform their peers, as AzMERIT results show charter students scored better than the state average in virtually every grade level and subject area for the third straight year.
The AzMERIT scores, released by the Arizona Department of Education on September 6, illustrate the hard work and dedication of Arizona’s charter students, teachers and leaders.
“These results are a strong testament to the great work happening at public charter schools across Arizona, and further validation of our efforts to expand high-quality education options for a rising number of students and families statewide,” said Eileen Sigmund, President and CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association. “Charter schools are raising the bar and improving public education in Arizona. We’re proud of all the wonderful educators, students and families who continue to drive that success.”
AzMERIT Charter Highlights
- Public charter students outperformed the state average of students passing the English/Language Arts test on average by by 9 percentage points.
- Public charter students outperformed the state average of students passing the Mathematics test on average by by 7 percentage points.
- 97 of the top 100 LEAs on the English/Language Arts exam are charter schools, when looking at percent of students passing the test.
- 93 of the 100 top LEAs on the Math exams are charters, when looking at percent of students passing the test.
Arizona charter schools have been providing a choice for families seeking a high-quality public education since the first schools opened in 1995. Since then, parental demand for an Arizona charter school education has skyrocketed. Today, a record 185,000 students now attend one of nearly 556 public charter schools statewide.
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About the Arizona Charter Schools Association
The Arizona Charter Schools Association is a nonprofit organization that advocates and strengthens the autonomy, equity, and quality of Arizona’s diverse public charter schools. As a national leader in the public charter school movement, Arizona’s 556 charter schools serve over 185,000 students in the 2017-18 school year. Academically, Arizona charter schools continue to produce excellent results. For the last three years, public charter students outperformed the state average on the AzMERIT assessment. In fact, if Arizona’s public charter students were separated and measured as their own state, it would rank among a handful of the top-performing states in the entire country on the Nation’s Report Card. For more information, visit www.azcharters.org or call 602.944.0644.
