Florida largely tracks the national trend.
Since 2006, when the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools released its first report on enrollment trends, the number of charter school students across the country has grown from about one million to nearly three million.
During the same period, Florida’s charter enrollment has grown from about 92,000 to more than 251,000 — slightly less than tripling, but close.
Last year’s report from the charter alliance showed Florida’s urban school districts were home to some of the fastest-growing charter school sectors in the country. This year, they largely held steady in national enrollment rankings.
During the 2014-15 school year, on which this year’s report is based, Miami-Dade County Public Schools were home to 55,592 charter-school students, the fifth-largest charter enrollment in the country. Broward County ranked ninth. Six other Florida districts ranked among the top 50.
Of Florida’s high-ranking districts, Palm Beach County rose fastest. Its charter school enrollment rose from the country’s 17th-largest last year to 13-largest this year. Palm Beach charters added more than 3,000 students, meaning they grew by nearly 20 percent.
Last year, Palm Beach was the second-fastest-growing district in the country for charter schools. It’s charters added more than 4,000 students in 2013-14, increasing by more than third.
The South Florida district is now seeing a pitched battle over charter school expansion that seems to intensify with each day’s headlines.
