2025 Annual Report: Oklahoma Charter Schools Expanding Reach, Serving Higher-Need Student Populations with Significantly Fewer Dollars Than Traditional Schools
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board (SCSB) today released the 2025 Annual Report of Oklahoma Charter Schools, a comprehensive statewide analysis showing continued enrollment growth, improving academic performance among brick-and-mortar charter schools, and a charter sector that is serving the highest-need students in Oklahoma with fewer dollars than traditional public schools.
The report, which includes an executive summary and an interactive data visualization platform, provides the most current comparative view of Oklahoma charter school enrollment, academic outcomes, student demographics, and financial conditions using publicly available data as of the 2024–2025 school year. The annual report, the second from the SCSB since it was created on July 1, 2024, is believed to be the nation’s first interactive annual report of a statewide charter school authorizer, representing a significant advancement in public transparency and education policy reporting.
“Transparency and access to meaningful public data are essential to strong policymaking and improved student outcomes,” said Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson, executive director of the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board. “This report not only highlights the strengths of Oklahoma’s charter schools but also provides an innovative tool for identifying long-term trends across our sector so that we can be more strategic and effective in areas that need improvement.”
Key takeaways from the 2025 report:
· Charter schools now serve approximately 8 percent of Oklahoma’s 697,358 public school students, up from 7.4 percent the previous year. Brick-and-mortar charter schools now serve 19,190 students across 55 schools and 26 charter districts, an 8.5 percent increase from the previous year. Virtual charter schools now serve 35,831 students across seven districts, a 6 percent year-over-year increase.
· A majority of brick-and-mortar charter schools and charter districts outperform the traditional public-school districts with which they share geographic boundaries.
· Brick-and-mortar charter school proficiency rates are rising, comparing 2021–2022 to 2024–2025 data, while the state average for traditional schools slightly declined and virtual charter school performance remained unchanged comparing those same years.
· Brick-and-mortar charter schools serve 82.6 percent economically disadvantaged students, compared with 61.6 percent in traditional public schools. They also serve significantly higher percentages of English Language Learners (34.3 percent) and remain among the most racially diverse publicly funded schools in the state, with 58.5 percent of students identifying as Hispanic.
· Virtual charter schools continue to serve a notably high proportion of students with disabilities, at 15.7 percent, nearly matching the traditional school rate of 16.6 percent.
· Despite these student demographics, funding inequities persist. Traditional public schools received $10,643 per student in state-local funding, compared with $9,684 for brick-and-mortar charters and $9,469 for virtual charters. The gap in state-local funding between traditional districts and brick-and-mortar charters has widened steadily over the last four years and now stands at brick-and-mortar charter schools receiving $959 per student less than a traditional public school.
· The expiration of federal Covid-era (ESSER) funding at the culmination of the 2023–2024 school year has led to decreases in federal funding across all public schools in 2024–2025, with more pronounced reductions in charter schools. Brick-and-mortar charter schools saw a decrease of $917 per student, and virtual charter schools saw a decrease of $874 per student, compared to a $322 per student decrease in traditional schools.
“These findings clearly show that Oklahoma’s charter schools are continuing to expand access and serve diverse, highest-need student populations and with fewer dollars,” Wilkinson said.
SCSB Board Chair Brian Shellem added that it is notable and worthy of commendation that brick-and-mortar charter schools are improving academically, with the majority outperforming their local traditional districts, and nearly catching the state average despite serving higher-need students with less money.
“However,” he said, “given the low proficiency rates across all publicly funded schools, the charter sector must continue to be vigilant and innovative. The future of our state and the students we serve in our charter schools are depending on our resolve and commitment.”
He added specifically of his pride in the format and accessibility of the Board’s annual report: “If you want to improve something, you must measure it. This interactive report gives parents and leaders the information they need to make decisions for their children and their schools. The Statewide Charter School Board continues to be the tip of the spear when it comes to showing what is possible and targeting how to improve our education system.”
The 2025 Annual Report of Oklahoma Charter Schools, inclusive of an executive summary and interactive data visualization platform, are available at the SCSB website at oklahoma.gov/scsb/resources/annual-report-and-dashboard.html.
