Today’s Charter School Trends: How Baltimore Curriculum Project Measures Up
July 28, 2026
Charter school enrollment hit a record this past school year: nearly 4 million students nationwide attend a charter school, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NCSC).
Public schools nationwide still retain the majority of the approximately 53.74 million Pre-K through 12th grade students in the United States (U.S. Census data), but NCSC data shows a demographic shift. Over a recent six-year span, charter school enrollment increased by more than half a million students, while public schools nationwide lost nearly two million students. In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report list of Best U.S. High Schools, two charter public high schools took the top two spots, among the 24 charter schools recognized in the top 100.
From growing student enrollment to increasing prestige, charter schools continue to play a leadership role in the educational landscape. They are pioneering inclusivity and diversification in education at greater rates than traditional school districts by serving a larger proportion of Black and Hispanic students. In fact, NCSC notes that “Hispanic student enrollment in charter schools is growing at 18 times the rate of district schools.”
Maryland Charter School Trends
Maryland is mirroring and advancing these national trends. In 2003, Maryland enacted the Maryland Charter School law. Today, there are 50 public charter schools serving nearly 25,000 children in Maryland, with Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) as Maryland’s largest and oldest operator of neighborhood conversion charter schools.
- While K-12 public school enrollment in Maryland fell by 1.3% for the 2025-2026 school year, the state’s public charter school enrollment has doubled since 2010.
- Baltimore City houses 32 of Maryland’s 50 charter schools.
- Maryland’s charter schools serve disproportionately larger numbers of students eligible for Free and Reduced Price Meals (FARMS) and multilingual learners compared to their surrounding county averages in 2025-2026.
Showcasing the prestige trend, BCP schools continue to be among the top public elementary and middle schools in Maryland. Since its founding in 1996, BCP has pioneered the research-backed Direct Instruction program with its educational partner, Baltimore City Public Schools, and introduced the now widely used Restorative Practices program to Maryland. Today, it serves over 3,000 Pre-K through 8th grade students in six schools across Baltimore.
When BCP became a charter school organization in 2003, it partnered with City Schools to assume management of struggling schools, a leadership model that continues two decades later. BCP is a neighborhood conversion charter school operator, transforming Baltimore City public schools into models of educational and holistic support for students, families, and the community. Any child within the neighborhood zone may apply. A lottery is only held for children outside the neighborhood zone. This is in contrast to many charter schools that rely on a lottery for all admissions.
We spoke with Harold S. Henry, Jr., BCP’s Chief of Schools, about charter school trends and BCP. In June 2026, he attended the NCSC national conference.
How is Baltimore Curriculum Project Leading in National Charter School Trends?
A: As neighborhood conversion schools, BCP’s enrollment is directly tied to geographic and demographic shifts in the communities we serve. Our enrollment trends have closely mirrored City Schools, with some schools experiencing outsized decreases or increases based on housing availability in the surrounding community. We have schools that are in communities with high-mobility rates and others that are in communities that have been more stable over the terms of BCP’s operation of those schools. We are less impacted by national trends related to an increase in school choice options because of our conversion model.
Serving historically underserved student demographics was the impetus for BCP to get involved in the charter school movement from the onset of the Maryland charter school program in 2003. This goal is the reason for operating under the neighborhood conversion model. BCP believes that every child deserves a great school in the community in which they live. This is not in any way a position against school choice; however, it is a stance that seeks to remove the burden from families to find good schools for their children. It also recognizes that not all families have the wherewithal to effectively navigate the school choice process. The neighborhood conversion model also means that the school’s population may change with the community. BCP has schools that have undergone significant demographic shifts since their conversion, but the premise of providing a great school in the community remains the same.
One of the national trends is consolidating charter schools into established charter networks. How does BCP connect to this trend?
A: As a network of schools, BCP is a testament to the benefit of consolidation as a means of expansion and financial stability. This has not been as much of a trend in Maryland as has been seen in other states, but our model could serve as a blueprint for other operators in the state.
One of the benefits of operating multiple schools under the umbrella of a larger education management organization (EMO) is that we are able to assess lower administrative fees to each school to cover the costs of support and management operations. All EMOs assess a management fee to the schools they operate to cover the overhead costs of operating the schools. In most cases, the largest costs are facilities fees, including mortgages, leases, utilities, etc.
Second, if the EMO has employees that support the schools, those costs are captured in the management fees as well. In some areas, these fees can be as high as 20% of a school’s budget. BCP is able to assess a lower per-school management fee because we have multiple schools to contribute to the overhead costs of support. Another benefit of BCP’s model is related to the neighborhood conversion approach. Our schools’ facilities costs are lower because we operate in district-owned facilities. We pay a market-rate lease and utilities costs to the district for operating in the facility, but all significant maintenance and ownership requirements remain with the district. Both of these elements of BCP’s model mean that more funding remains at the school level for direct programming for students.
Baltimore Curriculum Project Moving Forward
As charter schools continue to grow in enrollment, influence, and innovation nationwide, BCP demonstrates how a neighborhood-based charter model can deliver lasting impact. By combining proven instructional practices, strong partnerships with City Schools, and a commitment to serving every child in the communities where they live, BCP reflects many of the most promising trends shaping the charter school movement today.
