CER ranks Florida, Arizona and Indiana atop 2026 charter school law scorecard

The Center for Education Reform released its 2026 National Charter School Law Rankings and Scorecard, showing which states are expanding charter school opportunity and which still block growth. Florida kept the No. 1 spot for a third straight year, while Iowa, Ohio and Utah posted notable gains and Rhode Island moved against the trend with a new charter moratorium.

Why it matters: - The scorecard shows where state laws are making it easier for charter schools to open, expand and operate. - The rankings also highlight where funding, autonomy and approval rules still limit family access to public school options. - CER said the updated results matter as charter school enrollment continues to rise nationwide.

What happened: - The Center for Education Reform released its 2026 National Charter School Law Rankings and Scorecard on Tuesday. - The scorecard is the nation’s longest-running analysis of state charter school laws, nearing three decades. - Florida, Arizona, Indiana, Michigan, the District of Columbia, Minnesota, North Carolina, Iowa, Ohio and Utah ranked as the top 10 charter law states. - Maine, Alaska, Illinois, Washington, Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island, Kentucky, Kansas and Virginia ranked as the bottom 10.

The details: - The scorecard grades state law in four areas: Authorization, Growth, Operations and Equity. - Authorization measures whether multiple independent entities can approve charter schools. - Growth measures room for schools to open and expand. - Operations measures charter autonomy from district and state rules. - Equity measures whether funding is fair and how the law works in practice. - Florida held the No. 1 spot for the third year in a row and earned an A-. - Arizona ranked No. 2 with an A-. - Indiana ranked No. 3 with an A-. - Iowa rose from No. 11 to No. 8 and earned a B after a sustained legislative overhaul. - Iowa had been rated an F law just four years ago. - Ohio jumped nine spots to No. 9 and earned a B-. - Ohio’s gain reflected stronger fidelity to the intent and written word of laws already on the books. - Utah climbed four spots to No. 10 and earned a B-. - Utah’s rise followed changes that made education funding more equitable for charter students. - Idaho fell to No. 14, New York fell to No. 13 and Wisconsin fell to No. 15. - Those states slipped because other states moved faster, not because their own laws weakened. - Rhode Island enacted a moratorium on new charter schools and fell to No. 45 with a D-. - Nineteen of the 48 states with charter school laws earned a B- or better. - Only three states earned an A or A-. - Sixteen states earned a B+, B or B-. - Nineteen states landed in the C range. - Ten states earned a D or F. - CER said it has never awarded a perfect score since starting the rankings in the mid-1990s. - The full rankings, methodology and state-by-state summaries are available in the full rankings. - CER also said the scorecard feeds into its broader Parent Power! Index, which will be updated later this year.

Between the lines: - The biggest gains came from states that changed law and funding structures, not just school performance or public demand. - The drop in some states reflects a faster-moving field, where relative standing can change even without a legal rollback. - Rhode Island’s moratorium stands out as a clear policy reversal while many states continue to expand charter access. - CER framed the rankings as a measure of outcomes in written law, not legislative intent.

What's next: - CER plans to release the updated Parent Power! Index later this year. - State lawmakers are likely to face continued pressure to revisit charter approval, expansion and funding rules as rankings shift. - Charter school advocates will use the scorecard to push for changes in states that remain in the lower tiers.

The bottom line: - Florida still sets the pace, but Iowa, Ohio and Utah showed that policy changes can move quickly enough to reshuffle the charter school map.