Majority Of CA's Top-Performing Public Schools Serving Children In Poverty Are Charter Schools
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Twelve of California's 15 highest-performing public schools serving children in poverty are charter schools, according to an analysis released today by the California Charter Schools Association. The analysis defined schools serving children in poverty as schools serving at least 70 percent of students who qualify for the federal Free or Reduced Price Lunch program.
"These results show that charter schools are opening doors of opportunity for California's most underserved students, and effectively advancing them on the path to academic success," said Peter Thorp, interim CEO of the California Charter Schools Association. "These exemplary charter schools should be studied and their best practices replicated in the broader public school system so that more under-served children can benefit."
The analysis, which looked at 2008 Academic Performance Index (API) results, also found that California's highest-performing public elementary, middle and high schools serving children in poverty are all charter schools. They include: Global Education Academy in Los Angeles, which is the state's highest-performing elementary school; American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland, which is the state's highest-performing middle school; and American Indian Public High School in Oakland, which is the state's highest-performing high school.
High-performing charter schools serving children in poverty were disproportionately represented at the middle and high school grade levels. The analysis found that seven of the eight highest-performing public middle and high schools serving children in poverty are charter schools.
The three American Indian Public Charter Schools in Oakland, which are all in the top five highest-performing public schools in the state serving children in poverty, continue to surpass expectations in an area where student achievement scores traditionally lag state averages.
"Our model of success at American Indian is simple," said Ben Chavis, who started the American Indian Public Charter Schools and attributes the schools' success to their emphasis on fundamental reading and math instruction. "Our kids do a minimum of an hour and a half of math and language arts every day along with two hours of homework. We have high expectations for our students and provide them the structure and accountability they need to succeed."
Of these 12 highest-performing charter schools, five are located in the city of Oakland, three are in Los Angeles County, two are in Santa Clara County and one each is in San Bernardino and San Diego County.
The 12 highest-performing charter schools serving children in poverty in California, ranked by their 2008 API growth scores are:
American Indian Public Charter, Oakland - 967
American Indian Public High, Oakland - 958
Global Education Academy, Los Angeles - 954
Oakland Charter High, Oakland - 939
American Indian Public Charter School II, Oakland - 917
Crescendo Charter Conservatory, Los Angeles - 907
KIPP Heartwood Academy, San Jose - 903
Oakland Charter Academy, Oakland - 902
Synergy Charter Academy, Los Angeles - 899
Sixth Street Prep, Victorville - 890
Rocketship Mateo Sheedy Elementary, San Jose - 886
Preuss School UCSD, La Jolla - 881
To download a fact sheet on this analysis with school-specific information, including grade levels served and API growth scores, visit: www.myschool.org/pressroom.
About the California Charter Schools Association
The California Charter Schools Association is the membership and professional organization serving the more than 700 charter public schools that serve over a quarter million charter school students in the state of California. The Association's mission is to improve student achievement by supporting and expanding California's quality charter public school movement. www.myschool.org.
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