(From Todd Epp, Northern Plains News)
Charter schools are expanding across the Northern Plains, but closures are rising just as fast, often with little warning to families.
According to the Network for Public Education’s 2025 report, “Doomed to Fail: An Analysis of Charter School Closures.”
Why It Matters
Charter schools promise more options and innovation for families in South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. But the reality is often instability.
The Network for Public Education found that charter school closures uproot students from familiar environments, disrupt relationships with teachers, and break academic progress, especially for children in disadvantaged communities.
Research cited in the report shows that school closures, charter or public, lead to lower achievement, higher dropout rates, and long-term negative impacts on income and education, with the burden falling hardest on students of color and those from low-income families.
Closures, Causes, and Impact
The Network for Public Education analyzed 139 charter school closures from 2022 to 2024 and found 46.8 percent closed for low enrollment, 21.6 percent for fraud or mismanagement, 13.7 percent for academic failure, and 10.1 percent for financial collapse. Forty percent of closures were abrupt, often announced during the school year or over the summer, leaving families scrambling for alternatives. The report estimates that 1.1 million students have been displaced by charter closures since 1999, with the number rising each year.
In Iowa, six of seven early charter schools have closed or converted back to traditional public schools, according to the Network for Public Education.
In Minnesota, more than half of charter schools reviewed by state regulators in the past five years failed governance standards, with many violating the state’s Open Meeting Law, according to the Star Tribune.
“I’ve seen lots of kids charter-school hopping. By fifth grade, I saw kids who were in their third or fourth school. It’s really hard for kids to jump around like that and miss foundational skills,” said Olutimilehin Olusanya, a former Twin Cities charter teacher, in the Star Tribune.
Local and State Voices
North Dakota
North Dakota became the 47th state to authorize public charter schools in April 2025. Gov. Kelly Armstrong said, “Expanding school choice is a win-win for North Dakota families and for our state’s workforce and long-term success. The public charter schools authorized by this bill can drive innovation, improve student outcomes, and increase parent satisfaction,” according to a legislative press release.
Iowa
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said, “Public charter schools provide yet another school choice for parents and guardians looking for the education that’s best suited for their children’s abilities and needs,” after awarding nearly $4 million in grants to 11 charter schools, according to the Iowa Department of Education.
South Dakota
According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, South Dakota remains one of three states without a charter law. The most recent attempt to create state-funded Lakota immersion charter schools failed in the legislature in 2022. That was despite support from Native American lawmakers and advocates who argued that stable state funding could be a “game changer” for Native student achievement, according to South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
Nebraska
According to the Nebraska State Education Association, Nebraska voters repealed a law that would have funded private school vouchers, keeping Nebraska among the few states without charter schools or vouchers.
Wyoming
Wyoming’s top elected officials approved three new charter schools in 2022 after heated debate over whether charters would “indoctrinate” students with conservative values or drain resources from public schools, according to the Casper Star-Tribune.
Montana
Montana’s 2023 charter law allows districts to establish public charters. According to the Montana Free Press, a new commission has been created to authorize “choice schools,” which are largely free from state education law.
Unions, Conservative Groups, and National Voices
According to the NEA’s official policy statement, the largest U.S. teachers’ union opposes “unaccountable, privately managed charters,” calling them a “failed and damaging experiment” that diverts funding and destabilizes public schools.
NEA President Becky Pringle said, “Allowing taxpayer dollars to fund religious charter schools would put both public education and religious freedom at risk, opening the door to more privatization that undermines our public education system,” in a March 2024 press release.
Conservative groups and Republican lawmakers argue that charters expand school choice and foster innovation. Starlee Coleman, CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said, “Millions of families choose public charter schools because they are best for their children’s needs,” in a February 2025 statement.
Impact on Rural and Marginalized Communities
Rural families and Native communities often see charters as a way to keep schools open and tailor education to local needs, according to interviews with parents and advocates in the Great Falls Tribune and South Dakota Public Broadcasting. However, high closure rates and funding instability can leave these communities worse off, especially when closures are abrupt, according to the Network for Public Education report.
Conclusion
The future of charter schools in the Northern Plains remains unsettled. While some see charters as a lifeline for rural and marginalized communities, the high rate of closures and the disruption they cause raise serious questions about stability and oversight.
As policymakers debate the next steps, families are left to navigate a system where choice can mean both opportunity and uncertainty. For every student displaced by a sudden closure, the stakes are personal and immediate- a reminder that education policy decisions echo far beyond the classroom.
