It’s that time of year again!  The mainstream media will ignore test results from charter schools so that they can bash them in editorials later in the school year.

In Part 1, I will examine the composite reading and math scores for grade 3-8.  In Part 2, I will take a look at the performance of high school students.

  • Overall, 85.1 percent of charters met or exceeded growth versus 71.4 percent of districts (HT: North Carolina Public Charter Schools Association)
  • According to data from the NC Department of Public Instruction, 39.7 percent of charter school students in grades 3-8 were proficient in math and reading, while only 32.0 percent of district school students earned proficiency (Note: The charter school percentage includes alternative and first-year schools.)
  • Three charter schools had ridiculous test scores for their elementary and middle school students.  Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy in Charlotte (90.7 percent), Quest Academy Charter School in Raleigh (88.0 percent), and Magellan Charter School in Raleigh (85.1 percent) rounded out the top three.
  • Triangle Math and Science Academy had an impressive start.  The 2012-13 school year was their first.  Nevertheless, they had 63.8 percent of their students at or above proficient on math and reading tests.
  • Charter schools, on average, had a proficiency percentage that was 35.3 percent lower than the previous year.  This was consistent with the statewide drop of 35.5 percent.

My purpose here was to simply provide a bird’s-eye comparison of charter and district performance.  As such, I did not account for differences in the student populations, school size, or any of the other relevant variables.