The Effect of Charter School Openings on Traditional Public Schools in Massachusetts and North Carolina

2022/04/29 by Kirsten Slungaard Mumma · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Psychology · #School Choice and Performance #Higher Education Research Studies #Local Government Finance and Decentralization #Charter #Attendance #Charter school #South carolina #School district #Student achievement #Political science #Public administration #Demography #Geography #Demographic economics #Academic achievement #Sociology #Mathematics education #Psychology #Economics #Law

paper · doi:10.1257/pol.20190457

openalex publication_date 2022/04/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21

Abstract

The rapid expansion of charter schools has fueled concerns about their impact on traditional public schools. I estimate the effect of charter openings on traditional public schools in Massachusetts and North Carolina by comparing schools near actual charter sites to those near proposed sites that were never occupied. I find charter openings reduced public school enrollment by around 5 percent and reduced White enrollment in North Carolina. I find no impact on student achievement, and my 95 percent confidence intervals rule out effects larger than ± 0.05 standard deviations. I find no effects on attendance or suspensions. (JEL H75, I21, I28, J15)

Citations

• Charter Schools and Student Achievement in Florida
• The Impacts of Charter Schools on Student Achievement: Evidence from North Carolina

Cited by

• Charter schools in the United States [wikipedia]

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