Recently, there has been extensive media coverage of school districts with declining enrollment that are closing schools. Just last week, Jefferson County Public Schools approved closing 16 of its elementary schools. Meanwhile, Denver Public Schools released an initial list of 10 schools that it would like to close before reducing that number to five amid community opposition.

The prospect of school closures raises very real questions for families, but instead of seeking genuine answers, we have seen some cast blame on public charter schools. That effort not only defies the facts, it’s also a convenient way to devolve the discussion into an “us versus them” narrative at the exact time when our schools and communities need less of that, not more.

First, let’s start with the facts. Even a cursory review of the demographics makes clear that what is actually driving the declines in school enrollment is simply that there are fewer children being born. Nationally, annual births have declined 700,000, or 16%, since 2007, including declines across all racial and ethnic groups. Declines in urban areas have proven to be particularly significant as many low- and middle-income families struggle with record housing costs in those markets.

Colorado has seen trendlines similar to these national figures. Births across the state have declined by more than 13% since 2007. Combine that with skyrocketing housing prices in Denver — prices that make it very difficult for many young families to move into or stay in Denver neighborhoods — and you can see why K-8 enrollment in DPS has declined by approximately 6,000 students since 2016.

Public charter schools have not been immune to the effects of these demographic shifts. Charter schools and their governing boards are responsible for managing all their own finances and costs. In contrast, traditional public schools in Denver are eligible for a range of subsidies that are not driven by enrollment, including a small school subsidy for any schools that fall short of enrollment targets.

These subsidies, along with high levels of support from the district, have allowed many traditional public schools with declining enrollment to remain solvent while charter schools have had to make adjustments to programming and staffing. In cases where this has not been possible, certain charter schools have chosen to surrender their contract and cease operations. This has been the case with 12 Denver charter schools over the past five years.

Public charter schools have contended with the same effects of declining enrollment, but they simply have done so through the independent, self-regulatory mechanisms that are at the heart of the charter school model. If charter schools do not perform at a level that is successful and sustainable, they close, and students move to other schools. In this way, no schools are more accountable to their students, families and communities than public charter schools. That should be celebrated, not vilified.

But leave aside the data that shows the real reason for declining enrollment and school closures, and here is what’s most troubling about the “us versus them” narrative.

Our students and families across the state deserve honest discussion, focus, energy and accountability to outcomes. We are all poorly served by divisive and misleading caricatures, now more than ever.

We’re coming off a historic pandemic that has laid bare the myriad challenges confronting our schools and children. Our students are currently performing at levels not seen in more than a decade. The conversation we should be having is one more focused on quality and whether all of our students have access to the high-quality public school options they deserve. On that score, the ongoing results from the public charter school sector are encouraging, particularly for many of our state’s most historically-underserved communities.

It is disappointing that some in our community are more interested in scapegoating charter schools than in acknowledging the data of our state’s demographic trends and the desire of families to seek out high-quality, public school options for their students. Charter schools understand this reality, and our hearts are with the families who will be affected by school closures in Jefferson County and Denver.

It’s time for everyone to acknowledge the facts and put students first.

Dan Schaller is the president of the Colorado League of Charter Schools, a membership organization representing the interests of Colorado’s 261 public charter schools serving 134,000 students. Schaller is a former high school teacher who lives in Denver with his wife and two school-age daughters.