Colorado might be known for its skiing, national parks and craft beer, but we need to add one more thing – the quality of our public charter schools. It has been 30 years since the Colorado Legislature passed the Charter Schools Act, and in that time we have seen families flock to charter schools because of the quality and flexibility they offer to meet the unique needs of our students.

In fact, today there are more than 137,000 students attending charter schools in our state — that is 50% more students than are enrolled in the state’s largest school district, Denver Public Schools.

That strong parent interest in charter schools is grounded in very real academic results. According to a recent Harvard University analysis of academic performance reflected in the National Assessment of Educational Progress — commonly referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card” — Colorado is ranked second in the nation for charter school student achievement.

To create charter sector rankings by state, the authors analyzed math and reading data between 2009 and 2019. State charter averages, after controlling for student demographics, were then compared to the national charter school average.

In Colorado, the charter sector outperformed the national charter school average by 24% of a standard deviation (second only to Alaska). This might not sound impressive at first, but the authors estimate that one standard deviation is equivalent to nearly 3.5 years of learning for the typical student.

Today, in a time when our education system and our students face unprecedented challenges, it is crucial that we recognize and support innovative models that have proven to deliver results. The research outlined in this analysis underscores the effectiveness of Colorado’s charter schools in promoting student success, fostering innovation and providing parents with diverse and meaningful choices for their children’s education.

As legislators prepare to return to the Capitol, they must continue to support the charter school option through equitable funding and supportive policies. I urge our legislators to consider the findings of the Harvard University analysis as they allocate resources, recognizing the positive outcomes that are associated with supporting public charter schools.

Funding impacts the quality of the education schools can provide. While charter schools are known for their efficiency and resourcefulness, equitable funding is essential to ensuring they can offer the best educational experience possible.

Charter school students are funded at only 85-90 cents on the dollar compared with their traditional public school peers. Increases to such critical areas as charter facilities support and local funding parity would enable charter schools to reduce their classroom sizes, increase their teacher pay and elevate their innovative models that have demonstrated such strong results.

Furthermore, sound policy is the foundation upon which charter schools build success.

The Colorado League of Charter Schools looks forward to working collaboratively with legislators to create an environment that fosters innovation, autonomy, and accountability within Colorado’s charter school sector.

We call on legislators to protect the core features of our state’s accountability system to ensure that comparability is maintained and that families continue to be empowered to make the most informed education decisions possible. By doing so, we can unlock the full potential of charter schools to address the unique needs of our students and communities and maintain our status as a top-performing state for charter students.

A one-size-fits-all education system does not work. Investing in public school options and increasing charter funding is a wise investment we cannot afford to ignore. By championing funding and policies that support charter schools, Colorado can continue to lead the way in providing innovative and effective educational options for all our children.

Dan Schaller is the president of the Colorado League of Charter Schools, a membership organization representing the interests of Colorado’s more than 260 public charter schools serving over 137,000 students. A former high school teacher in Denver, Schaller and his wife have two school-age daughters.