Charter Schools Are Massively Popular – New 2019 National School Choice Poll Data

Every January, the American Federation for Children releases the National School Choice Poll. This year’s poll showed that 74% of voters favored public charter schools. Six months later, charter schools are being discussed in a hostile fashion. What gives?
At a teachers’ union convention last week, many presidential candidates made hostile gestures towards charters. At the same convention, union delegates debated a policy to withhold presidential endorsements from a candidate that didn’t call for halting all charter school expansions.
Our team decided to look deeper into our polling results from January. The disconnect between what Americans support and what the candidates are promising is astounding. Here are the breakdowns in support for public charter schools, which are described in our survey as “independently-managed public schools that receive taxpayer dollars and are open to all students.”
 

Public Charter Schools Support:

Republican Primary Voters: 72%

Democratic Primary Voters: 59%

Rural Voters: 73%

Black Voters: 71%

Latino Voters: 72%

Millennial Voters: 86%

 
One has to wonder if clean drinking water polls so strongly…
Such polling data should signal to policymakers and candidates that charter schools are massively popular with the American public. And with more than three million students enrolled in charter schools this year (more students in charters than there are teachers in our entire public education system), voters with children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews in charters make up their own massive voting constituency across 44 states that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

Thank you for signing up! An email has been sent to your inbox.

Request a Fellow to Speak at Your Event