Hawaii’s charter schools are attracting more students while enrollment in regular public schools has been trending downward, according to data released Friday by the Department of Education.

The opening of two new charter schools this fall helped push charter enrollment to 11,160 students, up by 526 students from the 2016-17 school year. Charter schools are free public schools that offer innovative approaches to learning and report to their own governing boards.

While the charter sector has grown, regular public school enrollment dropped to 168,095 students this fall, down by 1,173 from last year.

In the 2016-2017 academic year, charter schools added 212 students while regular public schools lost 719 students over the previous year.

“I do believe that the charters are doing some great things and are attracting families that are looking for opportunities to educate their children where they’re at and looking at education differently,” said Sione Thompson, executive director of the state Public Charter School Commission.

“It’s a natural evolution — the more we’re around, the more we are able to share with the community what charters have to offer,” he said. “That natural growth has been very positive.”

The two newest charter campuses differ dramatically from each other. Kamalani Academy in Wahiawa bills itself as an “arts-integration, Hawaiian-focused public charter school.” It is serving 286 children in grades kindergarten through eight in a building that formerly housed Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School.

“Our arts integration curriculum uses the arts (drama, dance, music, etc.) to teach the traditional academic subjects of math, reading, science and social studies,” its website says. “A student need not have any particular artistic talent to attend Kamalani. We believe that all students can learn to enjoy the arts while enhancing their learning of academics.”

The other new campus, Kapolei Charter School, was launched by Goodwill Hawaii and is aimed at high school students who have struggled in traditional classroom settings.

Goodwill has long worked with adults to overcome barriers to employment. The new school allows it to reach out to youth, helping them earn their high school diplomas and prepare for the working world or postsecondary education. Each student is assigned an academic life coach.

Kapolei Charter School, in the Goodwill Ohana Career and Learning Center in Kapolei, is starting small, with 49 students in ninth grade and room for more.

The divergent models show the wide potential of charter education.

“I think each one serves a niche and a need, and it’s really important,” Thompson said.

There are now 36 charter schools and 256 regular public schools in Hawaii.

The enrollment report lists the largest charters as Hawaii Technology Academy (1,111 students), Kamaile Academy (858), Ka Waihona o ka Naauao (653), Hawaii Academy of Arts and Sciences (644) and Myron Thompson Academy (582).

The biggest DOE schools by grade level:

High schools: Campbell (3,110), Mililani (2,571), Waipahu (2,554), Farrington (2,309), Kapolei (2,035)

Intermediate/middle schools: Mililani Middle (1,873), Kapolei Middle (1,521), Waipahu Intermediate (1,294), Maui Waena Intermediate (1,176), Kalakaua Middle (1,075)

Elementary schools: August Ahrens (1,249), Holomua (1,163), Ewa (1,070), Keoneula (1,037), Waipahu (1,026)

The full public school enrollment report is available online here.