Schools + Policies
Understand how policies shape opportunities and experiences at the school level.
Three Databases. One Connected View of K–12 Public Education.
Momentum regularly collects and updates the School, Policy, and Performance Database as the foundation for all of Momentum’s research and policy efforts.
How the Databases Work Together
Each database stands on its own — but every Momentum engagement draws on all three. The intersections are where the most useful insights live.
Schools
School-level data on enrollment, programs, and student outcomes.
Policies
State K-12 policies related to alternative education, and charter school operations, authorizing, funding, and facilities access.
Performance
School outcomes across the major accountability system indicators
Stronger Insights.
Better Decisions.
Better Outcomes.
Better Decisions.
Better Outcomes.
Schools + Performance
Connect school-level data with outcomes to identify what is working and where.
Policies + Performance
See how policies influence performance across states and schools.
All Three Together
When school, policy, and performance data intersect, we uncover insights that drive meaningful change.
Schools
A comprehensive list of public schools, their locations, and enrollment data — with a focus on alternative education campuses (AECs) and charter schools.
What It Powers?
Identify comparison schools for school evaluations
Map enrollment trends
Map performance trends (combined with the Performance Database)
49.5 M
Number of K-12 students enrolled in public education (NCES 2025).
8.3%
The percent of public school students enrolled in charter schools.
1%
The percent of public school students enrolled in alternative schools (stand-alone public schools only).
School Performance
Momentum's one-of-a-kind performance database on alternative schools alone, updated annually from public data sources to inform policy and practice for this highly specialized group of schools.
What Data Includes
Cohort graduation rates (4 through 7-year)
Proficiency rates on statewide assessments
Attendance metrics — ADA, chronic absenteeism, truancy, stability, mobility
Event and cohort dropout rates
College readiness assessment outcomes
3,373
Number of alternative public schools in the US (standalone schools only)
3.7%
Percent of public schools that are alternative schools.
500K
approximate number of students enrolled in an alternative school in the fall of each school year.
Policy
Momentum’s policy database includes a growing list of policies related to public education across the country, and allows us to provide our partners with state and national-level policy scans, and creates a pool of policies from which we can pull to assist advocacy organizations and policymakers to improve policies across a number of areas, including (but not limited to):
Alternative education policies and systems
School accountability policies and systems
Charter school related policies, including facilities and funding
State and federal public education policies
National Coverage. Annual Refresh.
Publicly available school performance data, collected annually from state departments of education — feeding local, state, and national trend analysis.
How can our data help you?