Texas parents are increasingly pulling their children out of traditional public schools and enrolling them in classical charter schools, suggesting growing support for school choice in the Lone Star State.
Enrollment in public school systems across the state has been steadily slowing, with more families opting for charters and private schooling, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
“Traditional K-12 schools are hemorrhaging enrollment due to growing concerns over content, quality, and the politicization of the classroom. This steep decline is evidence that parents are ready for something different, something better,” said James Quintero of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) in an emailed statement to The Dallas Express back in February.
A June study by TPPF found that classical charter schools are getting a growing share of Texas students.
“Over the last decade, enrollment in classical charter schools in Texas has increased sevenfold while enrollment in other charter schools has doubled. … Parents are generally satisfied with the quality of instruction and climates of classical charter schools, though they expressed some dissatisfaction with the quality of school facilities and opportunities for athletics,” reads TPPF’s report.
While classical charter schools offer a relatively typical liberal arts and science education, they also place an emphasis on moral character and civic virtue.
“Parents’ educational priorities aligned with the priorities of classical education. Parents expressed strong desires for their children to grow in wisdom and virtue through the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty within the context of a liberal arts education. Parents also highly valued the formation of civic virtues and preparation for citizenship. Although career and college readiness and learning how to address social problems were important educational priorities for many parents, they were less important than the other priorities,” TPPF found.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, a University of Texas at Austin poll found that roughly 58% of Texans support some kind of school choice legislation.
“Education policy needs an overhaul. It’s time to put parents in charge of their child’s education [and] future. The legislature can achieve this goal by creating Education Savings Accounts … which will allow families to direct their education dollars to the school of their choice,” Quintero previously told The Dallas Express.
The growth in classical charter school enrollment coincides with troubling student achievement outcomes in some of the biggest public school systems in the state.
The Texas Education Agency recently had to take over Houston ISD because of chronic underperformance at one of its campuses. Meanwhile, at Dallas ISD — the second-biggest school district in Texas — only 41% of students scored at grade level on their STAAR exams in the 2021-2022 school year. Additionally, almost 20% of the district’s Class of 2022 failed to earn a diploma in four years, despite the hard work of the system’s dedicated teachers.