Moving Target: The Success and Failure of Missouri’s Charter School Funding Surge

By: Andrew M. Camp, Ph.D., Collin Hitt, Ph.D., and David Griffith, Ph.D.

Recently, PRiME’s Executive Director Collin Hitt and contributor Dr. Andrew Camp published a report on Missouri charter school funding in collaboration with Dr. David Griffith. The report examines the intent and impact of Missouri House Bill 1552. The intention behind HB 1552 was to close the funding gap between public and charter schools. Prior to HB 1552, Missouri charter schools received about 25–30 percent less in revenues per pupil than traditional public schools in the same city.

The researchers found HB 1552 has mostly failed to close the district-charter funding gap and in its current design HB 1552 is likely fiscally unsustainable. Additionally, the researchers found charters have used their funds for various purposes and the funding has boosted charter schools’ math scores.  

Please Cite As: Andrew M. Camp, Ph.D., Collin Hitt, Ph.D., and David Griffith, Ph.D. Moving Target: The Success and Failure of Missouri’s Charter School Funding Surge. Washington D.C.: Thomas B. Fordham Institute (August 2026). https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/research/moving-target-success-and-failuremissouris-charter-school-funding-surge