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Enrollment of English Language Learners, Special Needs and Economically Disadvantaged Students in Charter Schools and Districts
There is a dramatic difference in the percentage of English language learners, special needs students or economically disadvantaged students enrolled in Massachusetts districts versus charter schools. This chart shows the difference in enrollment between charter schools in the 12 Massachusetts school districts with the greatest charter enrollment. (Figures are from FY15)
| Percentage of ELL | Students with Disabilities | Percentage of Economically Disadvantaged | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location of Charter Schools | Number of Charter Schools | Charter Enrollment | District | Charter Schools | District | Charter Schools | District | Charter Schools |
| Boston | 19 | 8,201 | 29.8 | 12.4 | 19.5 | 14.9 | 49.3 | 42.5 |
| Springfield | 4 | 2,186 | 17.2 | 4.0 | 19.5 | 12.3 | 67.6 | 42.2 |
| Worcester | 2 | 2,095 | 35.1 | 11.7 | 19.3 | 10.6 | 49.4 | 35.8 |
| Cambridge | 3 | 1,894 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 20.5 | 16.2 | 27.7 | 37.7 |
| Malden | 1 | 1,509 | 19.0 | 0.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 39.0 | 17.0 |
| Lawrence | 4 | 1,345 | 29.9 | 35.6 | 16.9 | 7.2 | 61.7 | 54.4 |
| Foxborough | 1 | 1,262 | 0.7 | 5.5 | 16.3 | 9.9 | 11.8 | 10.9 |
| Somerville | 1 | 1,149 | 17.4 | 10.6 | 21.0 | 15.7 | 35.5 | 35.9 |
| Marlborough | 1 | 999 | 16.4 | 0.1 | 19.0 | 3.6 | 25.2 | 6.1 |
| Fall River | 1 | 885 | 7.8 | 3.1 | 19.1 | 10.8 | 56.6 | 35.0 |
| Lynn | 1 | 851 | 18.8 | 16.5 | 15.4 | 11.3 | 46.2 | 43.2 |
| Lowell | 3 | 830 | 26.6 | 41.0 | 15.1 | 17.7 | 49.0 | 47.2 |
| Total | 41 | 23,206 | 24.5 | 11.6 | 18.5 | 12.9 | 49.2 | 36.9 |
| Percentage of State Total | 59% | 68% | ||||||
| Color Key | ||||||||
| = district percentage greater than charter percent | ||||||||
| = charter percentage greater than district percentage | ||||||||
In FY15, the most recent fiscal year for which data are available, there were 70 Commonwealth charter schools. The districts listed above accounted for almost 60 percent of all charter schools and more than two-thirds of charter school students.
Sources from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: