STATEMENT FROM JAMES MERRIMAN, CEO OF THE NEW YORK CITY CHARTER SCHOOL CENTER, ON THE RESULTS OF CITYWIDE SCHOOL PROGRESS REPORTS
“Nearly half of New York City’s public charter schools received A’s on their annual progress reports – another sign that charters are making tremendous progress with some of the city’s most disadvantaged children. These schools deserve the continued support and autonomy necessary to keep the progress going. Congratulations to all the leaders, teachers, students and parents who made this success possible—we hope they will share their lessons broadly to help make every public school great.”
Progress Report Results
| Charter Count | Percent of Charters | Percent of Schools Citywide | |
| A | 46 | 46% | 25% |
| B | 30 | 30% | 35% |
| C | 18 | 18% | 31% |
| D | 6 | 6% | 6% |
| F | 1 | 1% | 2% |
- Charter schools were leaders in terms of growth. In the Progress section, which accounts for students’ demographic characteristics and prior performance, 35% of charter schools earned a Progress grade of A, in comparison to just 16% of schools citywide.
- Charter schools were more likely to earn straight A’s. Though only accounting for 8% of schools receiving progress reports, charter schools accounted for 29% of schools scoring an A in all categories: Performance (on state exams), Progress (a measure of student improvement), and Learning Environment (based on attendance and learning environment survey scores).
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About the New York City Charter School Center
The New York City Charter School Center is an independent non-profit committed to fostering an environment in which public charters can open and flourish, and, through their innovative approaches, provide models for improving all public schools. The Charter Center helps new charter schools get started, supports existing schools, and engages the charter school community around key issues.
About NYC’s Charter Schools
Charter schools are free, independently run public schools that are able to innovate in their classroom structures, curriculum, and teaching methods. In return, they’re held to higher standards of accountability. More than 90 percent of the City’s charter school students are African-American or Latino, and more than 75 percent are from low-income families. There are currently 159 public charter schools serving students in all five boroughs.
