Whether charter schools improve or undermine kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) education remains one of the most contested questions among politicians, school districts, and community leaders. Proponents argue that competition from charters introduces innovation, accountability, and higher quality outcomes in underperforming public schools, particularly those serving historically underserved students. Critics counter that charters produce uneven results, divert resources from traditional public schools, and exacerbate public school underperformance by cherry picking high performing students.
A large-scale study from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford found that charter schools, in general, deliver better outcomes for low-income and minority students, though the effects vary substantially across states, cities, operators, and regions. Another study showed charter schools tend to be more effective in urban areas than rural areas.
At the same time, studies by the Economic Policy Institute question the benefits of charter school expansions. One report documented how the charter schools’ expansion forces changes among traditional public school districts, while another concluded that charter school growth increases financial pressures on public schools as they lose students.
Given the divergent results, district leaders must further explore the views of the most critical stakeholder in schools: parents who entrust their children to the districts. How do parents perceive charter schools and their effect and effectiveness for the K-12 sector as a whole?
A customer-focused strategy based on parents’ needs enables educational institutions to identify the strategic areas providing the most value to them, align strategy execution to those needs, and ultimately improve customer loyalty and academic outcomes. Without a clear understanding of parents’ value drivers, school district strategies miss the mark, leading to declining enrollment and academic achievement.
Since 2022, the Stratonomics-K12™ Strategy Science Study has measured parents’ beliefs and attitudes about, as well as satisfaction with, their child’s education. The ongoing study measures parent satisfaction on different dimensions of K-12 education, along with their agreement with various statements about the school experience.
The study, based on survey responses from 17,700 parents of K-12 children, focuses on parents’ preference among public, private, charter, and other forms of schooling for their children.
Stratonomics-K12 measures parents’ beliefs and attitudes about their child’s education.
As shown in Figure 1, about half of parents (52%) agree that charter schools help improve the quality of traditional public school education. Furthermore:
As shown in Figure 2, about half of parents (49%) agree
that competition from charter schools helps to improve
traditional public schools. Furthermore:
As shown in Figure 3, just 41% of parents agree that since the opening of charter schools, traditional public-school education has improved. Furthermore:
Figure 4 shows that more than half of parents (52%) agree that charter schools can inspire neighborhood public schools to improve. Furthermore:
As shown in Figure 5, just under half of parents (47%) agree they would encourage more charter schools in [their] neighborhood. Furthermore:
As shown in Figure 6, parents are quite satisfied (84%) with the way their schools are using digital technology to increase learning opportunities. Furthermore:
As shown in Figure 7, under half of parents (47%) agree that charter schools can hurt public schools by taking away high-performing students. Furthermore:
As shown in Figure 8, just 39% of parents agree that charter schools have a negative effect on neighborhood public schools. Furthermore:
Beliefs about charter schools’ impact on traditional public-school education are nuanced. Most parents agree that charter schools are beneficial to public school education, but they would also encourage increased funding for neighborhood public schools.
Insights from this report can enable school districts’ strategic plan by informing them of parents’ feelings regarding the impact of charter schools on public school education.
Mittal, Vikas (2026), “Do Charter Schools Improve or Undermine Traditional Public Schools? A Parent Perspective,” Stratonomics-K12™ Strategy Science Study, 1-13.