Center on Reinventing Public Education

As charter schools become an increasingly significant force in American education, critics continue to question how well they serve our nation’s most vulnerable students. Nationwide, students with individualized education programs (IEPs) account for approximately 8% of students enrolled in public charter schools, compared to 11% in traditional public schools. Using data on all students in grades K 8 attending charter and traditional public schools in Denver between 2008–2009 and 2013–2014, this report assessed the influence of various factors that could contribute to the special education gap, and how categories of students differ in their choices to enter and leave schools.
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