Los Angeles Public vs. Charter Schools: New Study Compares Cost Per-Pupil and Educational Achievement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sacramento, California
June 3, 2015
Contact: Jordan Bruneau
Los Angeles Public vs. Charter Schools: New Study Compares Cost Per-Pupil and Educational Achievement
California Policy Center report concludes that per-pupil costs are lower and educational achievement is higher at Los Angeles Unified School District charter schools
SACRAMENTO — Today, the California Policy Center released a new study exploring the cost and educational achievement of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) public schools and Alliance College Ready Public Schools, a network of charter schools within LAUSD. The report, co-authored by Marc Joffe, principal consultant at Public Sector Credit Solutions and former Senior Director at Moody’s Analytics, concludes:
- Charter schools have a lower cost per-pupil than public schools: Per-pupil costs for Alliance charter high school students is $10,649, a 44 percent differential from the $15,372 per-pupil cost for district public schools.
- Charter schools have higher educational achievement than public schools: In a comparison of the educational achievement between nine LAUSD and nine Alliance charter schools located in the same neighborhood with virtually identical student demographics, the students at the charter schools have:
- Higher Academic Performance Index (API) scores (762 vs. 701)
- Higher graduation rates (91.5% vs. 84.1%)
- Higher normalized SAT scores (1417 vs. 1299)
To read the full report, click here.
“These findings confirm what Los Angeles parents already know: Charter schools can provide a better education for their kids than public schools,” said Ed Ring, executive director at the California Policy Center and the co-author of the report. “The rapidly growing enrollment at charter schools is a threat that teachers unions are evidently unwilling to face without a fight; but rather than improve their product at public schools, they are looking to infiltrate charter schools, at the expense of both children and taxpayers.”
For more information, visit californiapolicycenter.org. To schedule an interview, contact Jordan Bruneau at 916-258-2396 or press@calpolicycenter.org.
The California Policy Center is a 501c3 non-profit public charity committed to researching public policy solutions to secure a more prosperous future for all Californians.
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