Despite gains, most Charter Schools still rank in bottom quarter in grade rankings
Charter school ranks for 11th grade
Most of the charter schools operating in the region that are listed on the Business Times ranking of public schools moved up in our annual rankings of schools by grades between 2013 and 2014.
When the 2014 Guide to Western Pennsylvania Schools was compiled in April, charter schools were not included in the rankings as they had been in past years. Since then, the charter school standardized test scores have been added to the database, and the rankings are presented here.
The online Guide to Western Pennsylvania Schools has been updated as well to include charter schools.
On average, a charter school moved up 4.27 places in the rankings. That’s the good news.
The bad news is a majority of the charters remain ranked in the bottom 25 percent of schools by grade. They performed better in the lower grades.
Across all seven grade rankings, only four schools managed to make it into the top 25 percent of schools in the region. They were Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, which ranked No. 30 out of 121 11th grade schools; Propel Charter School — McKeesport, No. 36 out of 146 in the seventh grade; Propel Charter School — East, No. 60 out of 292 in the fourth grade; and Environmental Charter School at Frick Park, No. 63 out of 306 in the third grade.
The rankings are based on three years of state standardized test scores, with the more recent years given the most weight. A school enters the rankings as soon as it has three years of scores to consider, which is why there are schools that are open but not in the rankings.
As charter schools add grades taught, they are added to the rankings after three years of testing.