A total of 531 new charter schools opened for the 2012-13 school year, pushing the total number of charter schools across the nation to 6,004 and overall enrollment to 2,326,542 students, according to estimates announced January 16, 2013, by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools [1](NAPCS).
Compared to 2011-12, the growth represents a 6.8 percent increase in the number of schools and 13.5 percent in enrollment, according to the report [2]. The report accounts for the closure 150 charter schools, which left a net gain of 381 schools. Two of the new schools opened in Maine, which adopted its first charter school law in 2011.
The report includes state-by-state data for the numbers of new schools, closures, and enrollments. California topped the list, with 109 new schools, 28 closures, and more than 70,000 additional students.