Individualized attention, creativity, and passionate teachers

Charter schools believe that every student should have the chance to go to a great public school that puts their needs first, regardless of zip code, income or ability level.

By offering individualized attention, creativity, and passionate teachers – students are provided the tools they need to learn and reach their full potential.

Charter public schools play a valuable role in the Atlanta Public School (APS) system and give more Atlanta students greater access to a high-quality, transformative public education. In Atlanta, 19 public charter schools serve more than 9,600 students and reflect the communities they serve. All APS-approved charter public schools are managed by a nonprofit board of directors.

College and Career Ready

There is strong support for charter schools in urban areas. The majority of parents who live in metro Atlanta (72%) would send their children to a public charter school if one was available in their community. 

Atlanta public charter school students are graduating college and career ready. 

  • On the 2019 College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), 11 APS public charter schools surpassed the district average on the College and Career Ready Performance Index.

Black charter school students in the city of Atlanta significantly outperformed their traditional school peers on the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP):

  • Atlanta’s African-American fourth-grade charter school students scored 19 points higher in math and 27 points higher in reading than their traditional peers.
  • The city’s eighth-grade African-American charter school students outperformed their traditional peers by 20 points in both math and reading.

Needs of Students First

Charter public schools that have received authorization from APS work to put the needs of students first and serve as good partners to the district, their fellow APS schools and the community as a whole.

APS public charter schools have helped improve the district’s overall graduation rates. 

  • In 2021, the district had an 83.1 percent high school graduation rate. That’s compared to 59.1 percent in 2014, which was prior to the first graduating class of any APS charter high school. 
  • In 2021, APS’ three charter high schools were among the Atlanta high schools with the highest graduation rates: Charles R. Drew Charter School (99 percent), Atlanta Classical Academy (92.7 percent) and KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (85.2 percent). These public charter high schools are not only among the schools with the top graduation rates in the city of Atlanta but also the state of Georgia. 

APS charter schools are helping increase the percentage of Atlanta students enrolling in college.

  • In 2018, APS had a 62 percent college enrollment rate. That’s compared to 2014 when only 51 percent of APS students enrolled in college. 
  • In the most recent data released by Atlanta Public Schools, Charles R. Drew Charter School (84 percent) and KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (80 percent) had the highest college enrollment rates in the district. That’s compared to the district college enrollment rate of 62 percent.