Good news from Seattle. Two new public charter schools are opening in Seattle this fall. Seattle’s first charter school, Summit Sierra, opened in 2015. Seattle parents now can choose from one of three independently-run charter schools. In other good news, total enrollment at Washington’s charter schools has jumped to 2,500 students, more than double last year’s enrollment. Enthusiasm for charter schools is growing. More families are deciding to trust the education of their children to these quality schools.  

Seattle’s two new charter schools belong to accomplished charter school networks. Rainier Valley Leadership Academy (RVLA) is part of the successful Green Dot charter school network from Los Angeles. RVLA opened in southeast Seattle this week, on Monday, to one class of sixth-graders, and will grow to serve grades 6-12. RVLA joins two other Washington Green Dot charter schools, Destiny Middle School in Tacoma and Excel Public Charter School in Kent.

Green Dot was founded by Steve Barr in 1999 to serve the poorest communities in Los Angeles, including Watts and Compton. Green Dot used its charter-school flexibility to develop innovative teaching strategies that help students catch up and surge ahead in school. Their results are stellar. Eight Green Dot high schools are ranked among the top 10 percent of schools nationally by U.S. News and World Report, with four schools in the top 5 percent.

Seattle’s second new charter school is Summit Atlas, which opens August 21 and 22 in West Seattle. Summit Atlas is part of the successful Summit charter school network from Silicon Valley, California. Washington state already has two Summit schools, Summit Sierra in Seattle and Summit Olympus in Tacoma. Summit Atlas will welcome a class of sixth-graders and a class of ninth-graders, and will grow to serve grades 6-12.

Summit schools were founded in 2003 by a group of parents intent on reimagining public education. Summit Schools was recently identified as one of the 14 most innovative high schools in the world, for using technology to allow students to proceed at their own pace, with individual student support from teachers. Summit’s results are outstanding. Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report have ranked Summit among the top public schools in the nation. Summit’s graduates are completing four-year college degrees at twice the national average.  

A total of 10 charter schools now operate in Washington state.  In 2018 two more charter schools will open in Walla Walla and Tukwila. Families are sharing their positive charter school experiences with their friends and neighbors. As these first-hand accounts spread from family to family, neighbor to neighbor, more charter schools will open, and more families will sign up.

This is the pattern other states have seen. Over the last ten years, charter school enrollment across the nation has nearly tripled, from 1.2 million to 3.1 million students. Today 6,900 charter schools are serving students and families, and 1 million students sit on charter school waitlists.  

To understand the reasons for this rapid growth of public charter schools, listen to Washington Policy Center’s new four-minute video, here. In this video, students, parents, teachers and leaders explain why they chose Excel Public Charter School in Kent, Washington, and why they value school choice.

Equipping and trusting families with more school choice is the best way to help students find a school that is the best fit for them, so every child learns.