SCHOOLS

Operating Schools

78

Total Enrollment

29,078

New Orleans has the highest percentage of public students enrolled in charter schools - about 60 percent.

Resource

The National Charter School Directory offers complete listings, including school address, program description, and website.

LAW

Grade

C

Rank

15th out of 40 laws

Resource

CER's 2010 point-by-point profile of Louisiana's charter law looks at approval process, operations, funding, and teacher and student provisions.

EQUITY

Funding

Five different categories of schools complicate the application process and result in inequity. Louisiana's charter schools receive, on average, $6,531 per pupil, compared to the $9,637 that conventional district public schools receive.

Resource

More information on equity issues at Charter School Funding: Following the Money.

ACHIEVEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Test Scores

In a ranking of New Orleans' schools of the percentage of students scoring at Basic or above in English and math by the Times Picayune, 17 of the top 20 schools are charters. Six of the top ten performers on the Graduate Exit Exam were charters.

Closures

The accountability data for charter schools in Louisiana is an anomaly since the state's charter school movement was essentially reborn after Hurricane Katrina. As of February 2009, ten Louisiana charters had been closed. Three of those reopened elsewhere after Katrina.

Resource

Accountability Report 2009: Charter Schools: In-depth information about charter achievement and accountability, including state-by-state analyses and closure listings.