Ferrare publishes study on for-profit virtual charter high schools

A new study published by Joe Ferrare and collaborators from the University of Notre Dame and University of Kentucky has found that students attending for-profit virtual charter high schools experience dramatically worse educational outcomes compared to their comparable peers in traditional public schools. The study, published in the journal Educational Researcher, analyzed 11 years of data from Indiana and found that virtual charter high school students were 12.6 percentage points less likely to graduate high school in four years and 9.7 percentage points more likely to drop out. These students were also significantly less likely to attend college, with particularly stark differences in four-year college enrollment.

The study also found that extremely large class sizes in virtual schools – with a median of 180 students compared to 24.5 in traditional schools – explained about three-quarters of the increased high school dropout rates. Meanwhile, less rigorous coursework, including fewer Advanced Placement courses, accounted for roughly half of the negative impact on four-year college enrollment.

Enrollments in virtual schools have increased dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic. As states continue expanding virtual school options and integrating them into private school voucher programs, Ferrare and colleagues recommend policymakers consider limits on student-to-teacher ratios and stronger accountability measures for course rigor in virtual charter schools.

The study was supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences (Award # R305A190340) and the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Research on Educational Opportunity.