ChoosingCharters.com

Ask your friends what a charter school is and you will likely get an array of answers. Some may not know that they are public and tuition-free. Others may not know that more than half the students living in Detroit attend a charter school or that the highest-rated high school in the Mackinac Center’s Context and Performance Report Card is a charter school (Star International).

Here are some other facts:

• In Michigan, more than 151,000 students attend 373 public charter schools. Public charter school enrollment has increased every year for the last 20 years.
  Source: Michigan Department of Education


• Controlling for socio-economic status, 42 percent of charter schools are outperforming traditional schools in learning gains in math, and 35 percent do so in reading.
  Source: CREDO – Stanford University


• On average, charters spend about 25 percent less per pupil than traditional public schools, despite serving a larger portion of low-income students.
  Source: CREDO

In addition to presenting facts such as these, ChoosingCharters.com features stories from parents, students and teachers about their reasons for being involved in public charter schools.

“Me and my sister, we took the classes, and we were able to gain 39 credits from the dual enrollment program,” said Marissa Anderson,
a Chandler Park alumna.

Grand River Prep senior Ojalon Potter said, “One of the things that I like the most I think are the teachers. They will bend over backwards to make sure you succeed and that’s always helpful for everyone, and I love it.”

Senior Briana Smith said, “Each month we’ve become a better person. We’ve learned how to do things that are outside of our comfort zone.”

One of the parents at Star International Academy, Haidar (Ronald) Kourssan told us, “At Star, a large percentage of the students are from immigrant families where they do need help, and help is available here. When my daughter graduated, Star got more scholarships than any other high school in the area.”

For these folks, their reason for choosing charters is clear. What’s yours? Share your story and find out more by visiting Choosing Charters.com.