Education
Education

Charter school enrollment grows by at least 11,000, report says

By Ty Tagami
Feb 11, 2015

More than 11,000 students were added to the enrollment of charter schools in Georgia in the last school year, according to a national nonprofit advocacy group.

The new report by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools estimates that an additional 348,000 attended charter schools nationally during the 2014-15 school year, compared to an increase of 288,000 students in the prior year.

Georgia added 13 charter schools compared with 14 in Tennessee and 25 in North Carolina. Tennessee had 8,800 new charter school students and North Carolina had 12,600. California led the country with 87 new charter schools and 34,500 new students.

Public charter schools are independent, public, and tuition-free schools that get freedom to innovate while being held accountable for higher achievement. The report says more than 500 new charter schools opened in the country but more than 200 closed. Nearly 2.9 million students now attend charter schools, the report says.

About the Author

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

Follow Ty Tagami on facebookFollow Ty Tagami on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Oluwamodupe “Dupe” Oloyede, the FAMU Marching 100 head drum major, stands at attention ahead of the halftime performance at homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 18. 2025, in Tallahassee, Fla. At many historically Black colleges and universities, the marching band is as popular on campus as the football team. (Tia Mitchell/AJC)

She’s the first female head drum major at FAMU, and she’s from metro Atlanta

As head drum major, Oluwamodupe “Dupe” Oloyede is something of a celebrity on FAMU’s campus. For the first time in its history, a woman leads the 340-member Marching 100.

The music stopped at Morris Brown. Two decades later, it might start again.

It’s hard to tell the story of the private Atlanta historically Black college without mentioning the famed Marching Wolverines.

Georgia students flock to Turning Point USA after Charlie Kirk killing

Since Charlie Kirk’s Sept. 10 killing on a Utah college campus, Turning Point USA has seen a sharp rise in interest across the Peach State, according to chapter leaders.

The Latest

Oluwamodupe “Dupe” Oloyede, the FAMU Marching 100 head drum major, stands at attention ahead of the halftime performance at homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 18. 2025, in Tallahassee, Fla. At many historically Black colleges and universities, the marching band is as popular on campus as the football team. (Tia Mitchell/AJC)

She’s the first female head drum major at FAMU, and she’s from metro Atlanta

Georgia students flock to Turning Point USA after Charlie Kirk killing

DeKalb schools superintendent pleads not guilty to federal charges

Featured

Peggy Harris (foreground) stocks the shelves at Sandy's IGA, which is the only grocery store in town, Tuesday, October 7, 2025, in Sparta. Hancock County has one of the highest rates of childhood food insecurity in the country. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Despite a $14.6 billion surplus, state leaders say they can’t bail out SNAP

The federal government says the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will run out of money Nov. 1. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says there is nothing the state can do.

Husband of child services director fled DUI crash with kids in truck, GSP says

Authorities say the husband of Georgia's child protective services director had a blood alcohol level 4 times the legal limit when he left a crash with two kids in his truck.

Kirby Smart: LSU coaches ‘borrow’ offices, adds context to Brian Kelly firing

Georgia coach Kirby Smart understands the pressure at LSU, and how that combined with playoff expectations led to Brian Kelly being fired despite a .708 win percentage.