Washington Charter Schools Best in the Nation

SEATTLE, Wash. – Washington ranks first in the country when it comes to state policies that promote a strong charter school sector, according to a new report out today from the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA).

The report, On the Road to Better Charter Schools, provides an analysis of current charter school oversight policies across the nation. Each state is scored against eight known best practices in school accountability and authorizer quality that help to ensure a consistent, high-performing charter sector.

Washington’s charter school law, reinstated last year with bipartisan support from the state’s legislature, received a perfect score.

“NACSA’s recognition of the strength of our charter law serves as validation for the tireless efforts of thousands of parents and students that fought so hard for these schools in Olympia last winter," said WA Charters CEO Tom Franta. "Through their efforts, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle were compelled to create a charter law that recognizes and upholds the basic tenets of the accountability bargain – schools should be given autonomy to meet the individual needs of their students and held meaningfully accountable for improving student outcomes in their community. Simply stated, this law creates more high quality public school options across the state.”

The NACSA report comes on the heels of the Department of Education's award of $6.9M to Washington state charter schools, a signal of the federal government's confidence in the state's growing charter sector.

“Washington is a national model for how to get charter school policies right,” said John Hedstrom, Vice President of Policy for NACSA. “Its law strikes the right balance that gives charter schools the freedom they need to thrive, while ensuring these schools meet a high bar and are good schools for students and taxpayers.”

The report details the state’s strengths in school accountability, including required annual performance reports and a standard for charter school renewal. It also details the state’s policies to ensure the organizations responsible for opening and monitoring charter schools adhere to professional authorizing standards, including evaluations and sanctions.