More than 30,000 Rhode Island families applied to attend charter public schools in 2024-2025, a 27% increase in applications when compared to the previous year, the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools (RILCS) said in a news release on Tuesday.
The league said that 2,500 seats were available in 2024-2025, not enough to meet demand.
“While the lottery is an exciting time for some families, many, many more are left disappointed,” said Chiara Deltito-Sharrott, Executive Director of the League. “Thousands of Rhode Island families, primarily those with limited financial means, are looking for a public school that fits the unique needs of their child. I applaud Rhode Island’s charter public school leaders for assisting these families with their search and guiding them through the process.”
The demand for charter schools has been increasing steadily over the past five years, the RILCS said. Last year, more than 28,000 families applied.
The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council found that charter school students have extra 90 days of learning time per year on average compared to students in traditional public schools.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.