Sectoral Convergence or Differentiation? Racial Enrollment Gaps in Charter and District Schools under a Maturing Choice System

• In Event: Racial Integration, Belonging and Gaps Across States, Districts and Schools

Abstract

Using data from Denver Public Schools (DPS)—a national model for school choice reform and unified enrollment—this study examines whether racial enrollment gaps between district and charter schools persist as choice systems mature. Findings from 1995 to 2019 show the sectors remain racially distinct in evolving ways: Hispanic over-enrollment in charters has grown, Black isolation has declined across sectors, and White over-enrollment has shifted from charter to district schools. A focused analysis of DPS’s contemporary landscape (2015–2019) confirms the growing avoidance of charters by White families, as charters under-enroll White students relative to district schools—even under identical enrollment conditions. These patterns reveal durable sectoral racialization despite institutional convergence.

Author

• Maggie Wood, Washington University in St. Louis