Do Charter Middle Schools Improve Students' College Outcomes? (Evaluation Brief)

The charter school sector plays an important role in efforts to reform the education system and better serve the nation’s public school students. To help understand this role, more than a decade ago the National Evaluation of Charter Middle Schools examined how admission to about 30 charter middle schools affected students’ achievement. On average, there were no significant effects. However, some charter middle schools in the study were successful in improving achievement, including those in urban areas and serving economically disadvantaged students – features of many charter schools today. This brief examines if the charter middle schools included in the National Evaluation affected students’ college enrollment and completion and the relationship between each school’s earlier achievement results and these important longer-term outcomes.