The number of students in charter schools increased in 1997-98 by about 50,000, bringing the total to about 160,000 students. This total represents only 0.6 percent of all public school students in the 23 charter states plus the District of Columbia that had open charter schools as of June, 1998. Even more so than in the past, recently opened charter schools are small. Currently, the median enrollment of all charter schools is about 132 students per school, whereas all public schools in the charter states have a median of about 486 students. The median size reported in the Second-Year Report was about 149 students per charter school.
Many charter schools have atypical grade configurations.
Seven of ten charter schools are now newly created schools, compared to six of ten for 1996-97. These schools are smaller, on average, than converted pre-existing public schools. Nine of the 33 states with charter laws allow private schools to convert to charter schools. Private school conversions represent 11 percent of all charter schools. Most charter school teachers are certificated, but in those states that allow non-certificated teachers charter schools have a somewhat lower percentage of certificated teachers than charter schools in other states.