Two decades ago, Chicago’s first charters opened their doors to improve the dire state of the city’s public school system. At that time, only 52.4 percent of students attending Chicago public schools were graduating from high school by the age of 19.

Contrary to those who claim charter success is a zero-sum game, the facts demonstrate that all high schools ultimately benefit.

Last month, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) released its 2017 graduation rates. Chicago’s charter high schools’ five-year graduation rate jumped nearly three percentage points to 81.6 percent, an all-time high. That means that 81.6 percent of students who started high school five years ago have graduated. The district, too, has seen improvements and is at its highest rate, 77.5 percent.

Read the source article on Chicago charter schools by Andrew Broy at The 74