In this quantitative study, public charter schools were compared to traditional public schools in New Jersey in their academic achievement on the statewide standardized tests. These schools’ academic achievements are assessed based on their students’ proficiency and growth scores in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics in grades 4–7.
Paired samples t-tests were used to compare the differences, and the results were analyzed in the context of the Market Theory Model. The statistical analysis indicated significant differences in favor of charter schools in student proficiency in English Language Arts and Mathematics across the 4–7 grade levels, but there was no significant difference in yearly student growth in either subject at any grade level except for grade 7 Mathematics. Grade 7 students attending New Jersey charter school demonstrated significantly higher growth than the grade 7 students in New Jersey traditional public schools in Mathematics.