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(12/2025)
Philadelphia Families Are Choosing What Works
(published in Broad & Market and Uptown Standard)
By Dr. Cassandra St. Vil, CEO, Philadelphia Charters For Excellence
(In response to Chalkbeat’s article)
The latest reporting highlighting a loss of more than 1,050 students in the School District of Philadelphia this year is more than a statistic. It is a signal. After a decade of steady decline — nearly 20,000 fewer students since 2014 — families are expressing something important. They are seeking opportunities within Philadelphia’s public-school system to find schools that support their child’s learning needs, honor their aspirations, and provide safe, engaged, inclusive environments.
As Mayor Parker often reminds us, Philadelphia has one public school system with many public school options. Charter schools are indeed a part of that system. When families choose a charter school, they are selecting a public school model they believe is the right fit for their child. When charter schools operate with quality, accountability, and a commitment to community, they strengthen the broader landscape by keeping families engaged and ensuring that students remain in public education.
Families are not turning away from public schools; they are navigating within the system to make their best choice of education options.. National polling supports this. This is not just a Philly phenomenon. We’ve heard this message loud and clear from parents across the country as demonstrated in recent polls.
These preferences align with national enrollment trends. Between 2010 and 2021, charter enrollment rose from roughly 1.8 million to 3.7 million students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In the last six years alone, charter schools added more than 500,000 students nationwide. Families are choosing public charter schools at a meaningful and sustained rate.
Philadelphia reflects this shift. In the 2024–25 school year, brick-and-mortar public charter schools served 63,964 students. These families are choosing charters because they value responsive school cultures, strong relationships, and environments where children are known, supported, and challenged. Parents seek schools that provide individualized learning, creative instruction, and a culture that affirms every student.
Declining enrollment does not have to signal diminished opportunity. This moment calls for stability, partnership, and a shared commitment to ensuring children have access to dependable, high-quality public school options.
In this moment, as families are speaking with their feet by choosing the public school that works best for their child, leaders in Philadelphia should see this as an opportunity to engage with families to help them make the best decision for their child and to ensure that every child in the city can access the best school for them.
At PCE, we are committed to leading that response.
References:
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=30
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (2025 Enrollment Report)
https://publiccharters.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/NAPCS-2025_Enrollment-Brief-111425v1.pdf
School District of Philadelphia – 2024–25 Enrollment Report
https://www.philasd.org/research/2025/04/23/philadelphia-public-school-enrollment-2024-25/
CREDO at Stanford (2023 National Charter School Study) – Executive Summary
EducationWeek coverage – “Charter Schools Now Outperform Traditional Public Schools, Sweeping Study Finds”
PCE connects, convenes, and catalyzes collective action to ensure all families have equal access to Philadelphia's public brick-and-mortar charter schools.
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