The Center for Education Reform released its 2026 National Charter School Law Rankings and Scorecard on Wednesday, offering a state-by-state evaluation of charter school legislation across the country.
Florida held onto the top position in the annual report for the third consecutive year, with Arizona and Indiana taking second and third place. The report also highlighted notable upward moves by Iowa and Ohio, alongside a decline for Rhode Island following a state moratorium on new charter approvals.
Now in its nearly 30th year, the scorecard grades state charter laws across four core criteria: authorization options, growth flexibility, operational autonomy from local district rules, and funding equity.
Out of 48 states with charter school laws, 19 earned a grade of B- or better this year. Only three jurisdictions received an A or A- mark. Meanwhile, 16 states received a B-level grade, 19 received a C-level grade, and 10 states earned a D or F.
The 10 highest-ranked states for 2026 are Florida, Arizona, Indiana, Michigan, the District of Columbia, Minnesota, North Carolina, Iowa, Ohio, and Utah. The 10 lowest-ranked states are Maine, Alaska, Illinois, Washington, Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island, Kentucky, Kansas, and Virginia.
Iowa climbed to eighth place this year, completing a turnaround four years after receiving an F grade from the organization. Ohio rose nine spots to ninth place, driven by stronger adherence to existing statutory language. Utah reached tenth place after passing legislation aimed at balancing funding between traditional public schools and charter schools.
In contrast, several states dropped in the rankings despite keeping their existing laws intact. Idaho, New York, and Wisconsin fell in position as other state legislatures enacted broader reforms at a faster pace. Rhode Island fell to 45th place after imposing a moratorium on opening new charter schools.
The Center for Education Reform noted that no state has earned a perfect score since the organization began issuing rankings in the mid-1990s.
“These rankings don’t measure intent—they measure what the written law actually produces, the results,” said Jeanne Allen, founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform. “The strongest states continue strengthening laws that allow these great new public schools to flourish. The weakest still deny too many families access to opportunity.”
The organization stated that the full dataset and individual state profiles are available online, with the results slated for inclusion in its upcoming Parent Power! Index later this year.
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