Arizona tops nationwide charter school rankings

(The Center Square) – Which state ranks No. 1 in the country for charter schools?

According to a recent report from the Center for Education Reform, Arizona takes the top spot.

The organization praised Arizona for increasing charter school funding and the proportion of students in charter schools. It also praised the state for creating new education models, including microschools.

“The active engagement by parents for great education – in every kind of community – has never been stronger,” CER’s Jeanne Allen said in a press release. “Charter schools provide the diversity of education, focus, size, scope and approach that parents desperately want, especially today.”

About 28% of public schools in Arizona are charter schools, and about 20% of Arizona’s public school students attend charter schools. That’s a greater portion than Florida, which Arizona overtook in these rankings. In Florida, those figures are 17% and 12%, respectively.

Last year, the rankings were flipped. Florida was the top state in the country for charter schools, and Arizona was a close second, according to the rankings.

Arizona received high marks in the rankings for not having a charter school cap. It also received a perfect score in the “freedom to innovate” and “teacher freedom” categories.

At the bottom of CER’s ranking was Iowa.