Does your highly sensitive child feel overwhelmed in large public schools? There is a lot of noise, teachers do not have enough time to attend to everyone’s needs, and school policies are not very flexible in public schools.
Your child may need to qualify for an IEP to get more flexibility. However, high sensitivity is not a diagnosis, so they won’t be eligible, unfortunately.
If you are in this situation, public charter schools can be an excellent option for your child.
What are charter schools?
A public charter school is a school that receives public funding (you don’t have to pay anything) and is often run by a group or organization under a charter granted by the state, the district, or another organization.
Charter schools are semi-autonomous. So, they are exempt from some state laws and regulations. However, in return for flexibility, they must adhere to the requirements established in its charter. Also, the organization that granted the charter periodically reviews and can cancel it.
Charter schools have become increasingly popular in the United States, especially in the West and South, particularly for elementary school children (see the chart below).
The number of charter schools went up from 5,000 in 2009 to more than 7,000 in the fall of 2020. They now account for roughly 7 percent of U.S. public schools. In addition, enrollment in public charter schools more than doubled over the period, reaching 3.4 million students in the fall of 2019.
Why are charter schools good for your sensitive child?
Smaller than public schools
About 44% of charter schools have less than 300 students. So, they can give you a feeling of belonging to a community, particularly if they are nonurban (44% of charter schools are outside cities, but there are significant variations depending on the state).
A sensitive child usually thrives in smaller communities where they know others well.
Customized education
Charter schools have more flexibility and can deviate from the approved curriculum, unlike public schools. As a consequence, charter schools can create specialized programs (like science and art) which benefit children with special interests.
There are also Montessori and Waldorf charter schools. A sensitive child usually performs well in Montessori schools as they focus on independent activities.
School performance
The schools’ charters usually include student performance metrics. In addition, charter schools need a good reputation to draw students. These are incentives for keeping standards high.
Related: 10 Smart Ways to Help Your Sensitive Child Succeed in School
What are the cons of charter schools?
You may have to volunteer more if your child is in a charter school.
Plus, charter schools usually have lotteries if the number of students wishing to enroll exceeds their capacity.
Also, charter schools vary in quality, so you must do a lot of research before choosing the best school for your child.
Fortunately, we did part of the job for you. This report gathers data to determine the best states for charter schools where your sensitive child can thrive.
Best states for your sensitive child’s charter school
Our criteria for choosing the best charter school states were:
1. We excluded states with no charter school laws
We started our analysis with the regulatory side.
Five states don’t have charter schools. These states are Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Vermont. So from the start, we excluded these states from our study.
2. We excluded West Virginia and Kentucky.
West Virginia and Kentucky have incomplete statistics, so we did not include them in our report. However, they have a minor impact because, in these states, less than 1 percent of public school students go to a charter school.
Other states where charter schools are less popular (meaning that less than 1 percent of students attend charter schools) are Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, Virginia, Washington, Virginia, and Wyoming.
3. We ranked the rest of the states based on Safety (35%), Quality (30%), Community (30%), and Market share (5%)
Safety
Our Safety indicator is the number of students who possessed or brought firearms to school per 100,000 students.
The chart below shows the safest states in light grey: Missouri, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Arizona. These states received a good ranking as we assigned a 40% weight to the Safety category.
The most dangerous are Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Illinois (colored in black and dark red).
Table: Top 10 safest states (by number of students who had firearms at school)
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
Quality
Then, we assessed the quality of the charter schools by ranking the states by SAT and ACT scores (15% weight for each). Unfortunately, these are not available for charter schools, so we used state-level results.
As the graphs below show, Minnesota had the highest mean SAT score in 2021, while the prize for the highest ACT score went to Massachusetts.
In the map charts below, light-colored states have the best results.
Community
Finally, we considered the feeling of community by assigning a 15% weight to the charter schools outside the city (located in the suburbs, in towns, and rural areas). Moreover, we favored charter schools with less than 300 students by giving this indicator a 15% weight.
At the national level, about 44% of charter schools are outside cities, but significant variations exist. For instance, all the charter schools in D.C., Missouri, Mississippi, and Alabama are in cities. Kansas is the polar opposite, with 70% of charter schools in rural areas. States with a large percentage of charter schools in the suburbs are Utah (61%), Florida (57%), Massachusetts (49%), Rhode Island (48%), and New Jersey (46%).
The chart below shows the percentage of charter schools outside cities. As you can see, the greenest states are Kansas, Utah, Idaho, and Oregon, each with more than 80% of charter schools in the suburbs, towns, or rural areas.
Below we show the percentage of small charter schools with less than 300 enrolled students. Iowa and Wyoming are on top, but they also have a low number of charter schools.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), “Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey,” 2019-20.
States where charter schools are more popular (so you’ll have where to choose from) but also smaller in size are highlighted in the red circle in the chart below.
Market share
We assigned a 5% weight to how popular charter schools are in a given state, as we believe having options is essential.
In addition, when kids have more schools to choose from, competition between schools rises. In other words, a more significant presence of charter schools can lead to increased competition with public schools, eventually benefiting the kids’ education. Charter schools attract students from public schools. As they gain more market share, competition between them and public schools is likely to rise.
Almost half of the charter schools are in four states. The states with the most charter schools are California (1,336 units), Texas (927), Florida (676), and Arizona (555).
Here’s an overview of the U.S. states with the most significant number of charter schools.
Of these four states, Arizona seems like the best option:
- Arizona has more small-size charter schools (55% of the total have less than 300 students)
- Arizona ranks high in terms of safety (possession of firearms at school); bullying is also close to the national average.
Also, about 43% of public school students attend charter schools in D.C., with an average of 300 students per school.
Results
Taking into account all our indicators, here are the top five states with the best-suited charter schools for highly sensitive children:
Below is the map of U.S. states by safety, quality, community feeling, and charter school popularity. Dark blue states provide the best opportunities in terms of charter schools for a sensitive child.
1. Maine
| Pros: | Cons: |
| – Maine scored highest on Safety and ACT score | – Small state |
| – 73% of charter schools outside cities | – Only 12 charter schools. |
| – 75% of total charter schools are small (less than 300 students) | |
| – Affordable housing compared to its neighbors | |
| – Renowned for its lobster and 40,000 acres of blueberries. | |
| – Charter school teachers have to be certified. |
2. Minnesota
| Pros | Cons |
| – Highest SAT scores in 2021 | – Cold winters |
| – 69% of charter schools with less than 300 students, making school less overwhelming for your sensitive child | – Equally far from the Atlantic and the Pacific |
| – Lots of options: there are more than 240 charter schools in Minnesota | |
| – Charter school teachers have to be certified. | |
| – Endless opportunities for spending time in nature (lakes, winter fun, camping) |
3. Rhode Island
| Pros | Cons |
| Safe state | The smallest U.S. state |
| The bullying rate is less than the national average (17% of students reported being bullied on school premises, compared to the 19% national average) | High cost of living |
| High ACT scores | Some areas are overpopulated |
| Small charter schools offer a community feeling (approximately 270 students on average) | |
| Almost 60% of charter schools are in suburban, town, or rural areas. | |
| Incredible for its beaches, fall attractions, bike paths, and sailing. | |
| Charter school teachers have to be certified. |
4. Iowa
| Pros | Cons |
| – Only 66 students per charter school | – Only two charter schools in the state. |
| – The quality of education is high: high school graduation rate of 88% compared to the 79% national average (source), second highest SAT scores in the country in 2021 | |
| – Charter school teachers have to be certified. | |
| – One of the most affordable states |
5. Massachusetts
| Pros | Cons |
| – The fourth safest state by the number of students (per 100,000 enrolled) bringing or possessing firearms at school | – Larger charter schools (555 enrolled students on average) |
| – Low bullying rate (15% compared to 19% national average, source) | – Challenging weather in winter |
| – Quality of education is high if we look at both ACT and SAT scores | – High density, traffic, and cost of living. |
| – Half of the charter schools are outside of cities | |
| – Charter school teachers have to be certified. | |
| – Lots of outdoor adventures (you have both ocean and mountains) |
Conclusion
Choosing the right school is crucial for your sensitive child to thrive, given their emotional and sensory sensitivities.
In these times of school shootings and pandemics, many Americans are moving states to find a place that best suits their families, finances, and values.
If charter schools are an option for you, hopefully, this study was a good stop as you collect information about states that best align with your interests.
References
NCES, Report on The Condition of Education 2022 (https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2022/2022144.pdf
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) https://www.publiccharters.org/
U.S. Department of Education (https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/landing.jhtml?src=pn)
