Do Charters ‘Cherry Pick’ Students?

Despite their status as public schools that may not discriminate, Idaho’s public charter schools have been accused of “cherry-picking” children from families with higher incomes who are, presumably, easier to educate.The reality is charter school student family incomes reflect the general population. The chart (follow link) compares the percentages of students who were eligible for free and reduced lunch during the 2008-09 school year (the most recent year publicly available) in 17 charter schools with the percentages of eligible students from the districts around them. Five charter schools had significantly more students living in poverty than the districts surrounding them, five charter schools had poverty rates within plus or minus 3 percentage points of the districts and seven charters had significantly fewer students living in poverty/ Brianna LeClaire , Idaho Freedom Foundation. More here.

DFO: Unfortunately, this story doesn’t include nationally acclaimed Coeur d’Alene Charter School.

Question: Do you think charter schools “cherry pick” students?