This report presents and analyzes data from the 2004-05 school year related to the characteristics of charter schools in Colorado, including student achievement and school performance. The purpose, methodology and growth of charter schools in the state is discussed, followed by an overview of the background and mandates of the Colorado Charter School Act. Characteristics of charter school, charter school students are reported, followed by charter school performance, by reading, writing, math, science assessments. Information on teachers, salaries, administrators and oversight is included. Renewals and closures, and operational issues are presented. A summary and look ahead is included: charter schools are anticipated to continue as part of the educational landscape, with a range of opinion regarding acceptance as part of the educational mainstream, and potential organizational changes. Recommendations are clustered into three categories: (1) System recommendations, for the state legislators and educational system as a whole, include creating university programs for charter school leaders, providing competitive wages in the charter system, and implementation and funding for on-the-job charter training; (2) Authorizer recommendations for school districts include development of and training in best practices with potential networking between districts, more information from and collaboration with District Assessment Coordinators (DAC), possible standardization of calendars and reports, and clarification of fee schedules; and (3) Individual school recommendations reiterate the need to work with DACs, fee schedules, consistency of record keeping, and of balancing selectivity versus moving forward. Evaluation study request for data is appended. (Contains 95 endnotes and 31 tables.)