tulane university shows that under the charter system, student achievement is up with 63% of students passing state assessment tests in 2013, a 30% increase since 2005. and graduation rates are up from 56% to 73%. >> can everybody do that? >> reporter: initially charter schools were able to recruit the most desirable students. now parents can rank their school choices and go through a centralized lottery process. >> we have no influence over who attends at all. >> reporter: parents say when a spot unexpectedly opens up at a good school, they run. >> when we got in, there were two spots left. and i said thank you, lord. this is for my baby. >> reporter: but some students do not get any of their choices, leaving some parents to question whether the program really works. >> i don't know that we're succeeding necessarily, in that the same sort of quality education is available for everyone. >> reporter: ten years now after the storm. >> we've gone from a school district that was an f to a