Black & Hispanic students make up 96% of enrollment in Chicago’s charter public schools, compared to 82.5% of students in Chicago’s district-run schools.
Students who qualify for free and reduced price lunches make up 86.2% of enrollment in Chicago’s charter public schools compared to 76.4% of enrollment in Chicago’s district-run schools.
Students with disabilities comprise 15.1% of enrollment in Chicago’s charter public schools compared to 14.6% of students in Chicago’s district run schools.
Although CPS enrollment has fallen precipitously in recent years, this decline is NOT due to more students attending charter schools: since 2013, CPS enrollment has declined by nearly 32,000 students which is an 8% decrease, while Chicago’s charter sector enrollment has decreased to 52,000 students, which is a 2% decrease. CPS’s enrollment has declined because there are fewer school aged-children in Chicago, not because there are more children attending charter schools.
