Impact of the District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995

The (relative) academic success of charter schools has changed public education in the city, which has been regarded as having one of the most troubled school districts in the U.S. As of 2008, enrollment in "traditional" public schools decreased 42 percent since 1996; the growth in charter-school enrollment accounts for nearly the entire decline. The District of Columbia is now one of the largest charter-school districts in the country.