Ten Public Charter High Schools Among Best in Nation, According to Newsweek Magazine Survey

BASIS Charter of Tucson Rated America's Top School

WASHINGTON, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ten public charter schools are among the top 100 best high schools in America as graded by Newsweek magazine's Challenge Index Rating, including BASIS Charter School in Tucson, cited as the nation's top-ranked high school in the survey released this week.

The achievement is significant because public charter schools currently comprise only approximately 3% of all public schools nationwide and are more likely to enroll students from disadvantaged communities than traditional public high schools.

"While only about 3% of all schools, ten public charters made the top 100, demonstrating that the charter school principles of accountability and innovation are producing remarkable results," said National Alliance for Public Charter Schools President Nelson Smith. "We congratulate the students and teachers of BASIS Charter School and the other nine public charter high schools for their achievement."

The top public charter schools making the list are:

School Location Overall Rank

BASIS Charter Tucson, Arizona 1
Pruess Charter San Diego, California 4
Match Charter Boston, Massachusetts 25
Benjamin Franklin Charter New Orleans, Louisiana 35
Raleigh Charter Raleigh, North Carolina 27
Peak to Peak Charter Lafayette, Colorado 40
Sturgis Charter Hyannis, Massachusetts 43
Moreno Valley Charter Angel Fire, New Mexico 51
Charter School of Wilmington Wilmington, Delaware 98
Signature Charter Evansville, Indiana 99

Charter schools are public schools with unique traits that increase the likelihood of a successful education for a child.

-- Charter schools have increased flexibility to adapt to the educational
needs of individual children, make timely decisions about developing
curriculum, structure the school day, and hire teachers who meet the
needs of their students.
-- Charters operate within a multi-tiered accountability system -- to
parents, authorizers, the state, and lenders -- that leads to quality
schools and high achievement.
-- Parents elect to send their children to charters, and teachers choose
to work in them.

About the survey:

Newsweek's Challenge Index (http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380) is a ratio of the number of students taking rigorous high school achievement exams such as the Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Cambridge tests divided by the number of students in the school's graduating class. Consequently, the index identifies schools with the most rigorous academic environment place.

About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools:

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (www.publiccharters.org) is the national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. The Alliance works to increase the number of high-performing charter schools available to all families, particularly low-income and minority families who currently do not have access to quality public schools. The Alliance provides assistance to state charter school associations and resource centers, develops and advocates for improved public policies, and serves as the united voice for this large and diverse movement.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

CONTACT: Bill Schulz of the National Alliance for Public Charter
Schools, +1-202-521-2828, +1-240-678-9398 (cell), wschulz@publiccharters.org;
or Jessica Schwartz Hahn, +1-703-478-0658, +1-571-239-3260 (cell),
jessica@peithocom.com, for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

Web Site: http://www.newsweek.com/
http://www.publiccharters.org/

2008-05-20 17:51:57 0367147 PRNEWSWIRE