Charters may not pick and choose their students, but they do have the autonomy to pick and choose programs and approaches, and they have the accountability that have allowed most private institutions to provide excellent education to their customers. Charter schools are judged by how well they educate children in a safe and responsible environment, not by whether they comply with bureaucratic district and state regulations. Charter operators set academic and operational goals, and are judged on how well they meet the goals. If they fail, they are closed. Almost anyone interested in creating a better educational opportunity for children can start a charter school.
Students choose to attend and teachers choose to teach at charter schools.
More than 2,000 charter schools now operate in 34 states and serve more than 500,000 children. Nearly 70 percent of charter schools have a waiting list equal to their enrollment. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia have laws permitting the establishment of charter schools but the laws vary greatly. This national ranking is based on 10 major factors in the law that can either encourage or discourage charter schools from opening. The strength of a law depends largely on whether or not the state allows for a high number of charters and whether a group can go to more than one authorizer for a charter.