Charter Schools Swamped by Demand, Waiting Lists

People want to escape from traditional schools

There are 6,000 charter schools nationwide, more than 1,000 in California and upwards of 250 in Los Angeles.

It turns out, that's not enough.

A report released Thursday by the National Alliance for Public Schools estimates that 520,000 students nationwide are on a charter school waiting list, including 50,000 kids in California hoping for a spot.

And more than 15,000 students are wait-listed for seats in Los Angeles Unified, which already has a charter enrollment of 100,000—the most of any district in the country.