Search EdWorkingPapers

Search EdWorkingPapers by author, title, or keywords.

The cost-effectiveness of public charter schools in Texas

I compare per pupil revenues, expenditures, and performance levels in public charter schools to district-run public schools in Texas for the 2017-18 school year. After controlling for several school and student characteristics, I find that public charter schools are funded around $1,700 (15 percent) less, and spend around $3,700 (28 percent) less, per pupil than district-run public schools. Public charter schools demonstrate cost-effectiveness advantages between 8 and 42 percent, depending on the model employed, over district-run public schools in Texas. I also find evidence to suggest per pupil spending is positively related to state testing outcomes for public charter schools, but not for district-run public schools.

Keywords
charter schools; school choice; economics of education; school productivity; education spending
Education level
Document Object Identifier (DOI)
10.26300/90yw-r849

EdWorkingPaper suggested citation:

DeAngelis, Corey A.. (). The cost-effectiveness of public charter schools in Texas. (EdWorkingPaper: 19-133). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/90yw-r849

Machine-readable bibliographic record: RIS, BibTeX