Student mobility between charter and traditional public school sectors: Assessing student selection patterns among major charter management organizations in Texas.

Student enrollment and transfer patterns between the traditional public and charter school
sectors help shape the role of charter schools in the broader educational ecosystem, especially as
related to the enrollment and segregation of low-income students, English learners, students of color,
and students in special education. We examine patterns of student transfer between traditional public
schools and charter schools among four of Texas’s largest charter networks, which cumulatively make
up over one-third of Texas charter students. We find that these schools serve fewer special education
students than traditional public schools, but a greater share of low-income and English learners.
Transfers between sectors contribute to enrollment gaps in special education and other classifications,
but the findings do not apply uniformly across charter districts, student enrollment classifications, or
grade levels. These findings highlight nuanced enrollment patterns between the charter sector and
traditional public schools, suggesting that differences in student characteristics between sectors likely
stem from a range of sources. Policymakers should acknowledge this nuance, consider alternatives to
blanket enrollment regulation policies, and conduct similar analyses of enrollment patterns among
charter districts.
Keywords: charter schools; student mobility; special education; school finance