Charter schools are a growing presence on Native American reservations, with 12 new charter schools opening in the past five years, says a new brief published by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

The organization's senior director of research and evaluation, Anna Nicotera, found that the number of charter schools on Native American reservations has grown from 19 schools on 17 reservations in five states in 2005 to 31 schools on 19 reservations in nine states by 2010. That number represents about 15 percent of the public schools operating on BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) land.

Part of the reason for this increase in the number of charter schools could be a moratorium on new educational programs operated by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), which oversees the regular public schools on Native American reservations. That moratorium, passed by Congress in 1995, is still in place.