Michigan Charter Schools are Maxed Out
The children of thousands of families within the Michigan charter schools are on waiting lists for admittance to charter schools. Not only does this underscores the parents’ commitment to school choice, but it also indicates their desire for their children to have a better education - one they obviously do not believe they can achieve in the traditional Michigan schools.
Like many other states, the Michigan schools has a cap of 150 on the number of charter schools each district may have. These caps were seen as necessary in the beginning for a couple of reasons: To ensure they were successful before they exploded on the scene, and to ensure the traditional public schools were not lost all together.
The Michigan charter schools are currently maxed out at the 150 maximum university-chartered state schools. There actually are 230 charters in Michigan, but 80 are exempt from the cap. For example, a Native American operated charter comes under the control of the federal government and is exempt.
Enrollment in charter Michigan schools was at 91,567 during the 2005-2006 school year. That is 5.3 percent of all Michigan schools students that year and up by 10,000 students over the previous year. More high school charters are needed with the long waiting lists and parents clamoring to have their children admitted.