PULASKI COUNTY SCHOOL CHOICE MARKET
NEARS 19,000 STUDENTS
(January 2018) Records show the school
choice market in Pulaski County totaled nearly 19,000 K-12 students in 2017.
This niche educational market includes students eligible to participate in
public school choice programs, capped at three percent (3%) of enrollment; and
homeschooled, private and charter students.
The
Arkansas School Choice Market
School choice has advanced since
Foundation analysts Allyson Tucker and Donna Watson wrote their landmark 1996
study recommending charters. The Murphy Commission studies advanced other
options in three 1998 studies.
The Pulaski County school choice market
includes the following groups:
Private school students 8,2481
Charter
school students 7,2832
Homeschooled
students 1,8923
Public
school choice students 1,3014
Total 18,724
--Greg Kaza
1 Arkansas Department of
Education, https://adedata.arkansas.gov/statewide/Schools/PrivateSchools.aspx
Private Schools: Little Rock Christian,
1,403; Pulaski Academy, 1,328; Episcopal Collegiate, 763; Catholic High School,
753; Christ The King, 657; Baptist Preparatory School, 655; Our Lady of Holy
Souls, 505; Mount St. Mary Academy, 489; The Anthony School, 360; Southwest
Christian Academy, 274; Miss Selma's School, 232;North Little Rock Catholic
Academy, 201; St. Theresa, 165; St. Edward's, 147; Christ Lutheran, 134; The
Huda Academy, 114; Agape Academy, 37; Embassy Academy, 15; Aspire Christian
Academy, 13; Immaculate Conception, 3.
2 http://www.arkansased.gov/contact-us/charter-schools/charter_school_categories/open-enrollment
Open
Enrollment Charters: Estem Little Rock (Elementary,
Middle & High School) 1,968; LISA Academy (Elementary, Middle & High
School) 1,572; Academics Plus (Elementary & High School) 1,050; Arkansas Virtual
Academy High School, 737; Jacksonville Lighthouse College Prep , 377; Exalt Academy of Southwest Little
Rock, 375; Little Rock Prep Academy Middle School, 213; Capital City Lighthouse
Lower Academy, 191; SIA Tech (Little Rock) 188; Quest Middle Schools (Little
Rock)188; Rockbridge Montessori Charter School, 169; Covenant Keepers Charter
School, 141; Premier High School of Little Rock, 114.
3 ADE Home School Report, 2016-17, http://www.arkansased.gov/divisions/learning-services/home-school/home-school-reports
4 ADE,
https://adedata.arkansas.gov/statewide/State/SchoolChoice.aspx
The three percent (3%) cap established by the Public School Choice
Act of 2015 limits expansion of this market component. http://www.arkansased.gov/public/userfiles/Public_School_Accountability/Equity_Assistance/Three_Percent_School_Choice_K_12_10_01_16.pdf
Little Rock School District, 683; Pulaski County Special School
District, 366; North Little Rock School District, 252