Charters are more ‘special’

Best for hi-need kids

Charter-school students with-disabilities and English language learners are outperforming their publicschool peers on state exams, according to new data.

Mayor de Blasio criticized charters last week for marginalizing challenged students and suggested the schools’ sterling test numbers stem from cherry-picking kids.

But Families for Excellent Schools, a charter backer, said they are enrolling an increasing number of kids with disabilities and English-language deficits who are outpacing public-school students.

A total of 7,300 charter kids with disabilities took state math and English exams this year, up 14 percent from 2015, according to FES.

Some 1,300 charter-school English-language learners also took the tests, a 19 percent increase.

For kids with disabilities, 16 percent of those attending charter schools were proficient in reading, compared with 10 percent of public-school students.

For math, 24 percent of charter students with disabilities scored at proficient levels, as did 12 percent of public-school kids.

Charter kids also had higher proficiency gains than their public-school peers compared with last year.

For English-language learners, 8 percent of charter students were proficient in reading, compared with 5 percent of public-school kids. And 17 percent of ELLs at charter schools were proficient in math, versus 14 percent of those in public schools.

“This data shows what Mayor de Blasio has been hellbent on covering up for the past week: Public charter schools serve children with special needs far better than the district,” said FES CEO Jeremiah Kittredge.

“It’s time for de Blasio to stop his false rhetoric and partisan opposition to public charter schools and allow them to serve even more high-need students.”

But a DOE spokeswoman said public schools still enroll significantly more challenged kids than charters.

“We are committed to meeting the needs of all students,” Devora Kaye said.