The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools just released the following statement on the 2020 election results:

While the results of the 2020 election are still unknown, one thing is clear: Americans turned out to vote in record numbers. And many of them cared a great deal about education. In fact, according to polling this fall by Morning Star, American voters ranked education as their fourth most important issue.

We also know that a record number of parents voted with their feet and enrolled their students in charter schools this year. These innovative public schools especially appealed to parents who were concerned about whether their children’s needs would be met during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the nation, we saw significant enrollment spikes in charter schools because they offer a combination of flexibility, tailored instruction, social-emotional support, and rigorous coursework.

As the results continue to roll in over the next few days and weeks, we look forward to working with elected officials at the federal, state and local level to ensure the voices of parents are heard. We will continue to advocate for excellent public charter schools because families and students clearly want more and better public education options. Charter schools are an important part of the public education ecosystem, serving nearly 3.3 million students. Further, nearly 5 million more students would attend a charter school if one were available to them.

Elected officials would do well to heed the wishes of their constituents. Parents are right to demand the best public-school options for their children.