North Carolina has seen steady growth in the number of charter schools since the General Assembly lifted the 100-school limit in 2011. But 2024 will be the exception, with the number staying flat at 210.
This year the state closed two charter schools: Children’s Village Academy in Kinston, for financial and legal problems, and Ridgeview Academy in Gastonia, for low academic performance.
Meanwhile, 12 schools were approved to open in August. But their boards began requesting delays as they had trouble recruiting students and/or finding suitable facilities. As of Tuesday, the final report to the Charter Schools Review Board, only two remained:
American Leadership Academy, a K-8 school in Monroe, plans to open Aug. 14 in the building that used to house Apprentice Academy. School leaders reported they’ve enrolled 229 students so far. That’s just over half the first-year enrollment of 450 that the state approved, and well below the estimated break-even point of 338.
The ready-to-open report says the building, staffing and transportation are in place. And ALA Monroe board member Mitchell Schwab told the state review board he expects enrollment to pick up over the summer.
Riverside Leadership Academy in Craven County is scheduled to open Aug. 5 with 441 K-7 students, or virtually full enrollment. Work on the building is still in progress and the board has a contingency plan to push back opening day if it’s not ready in time.
Even if the number of schools doesn’t increase, it’s likely that total enrollment will keep growing. Several existing schools continue to add grade levels, and state officials say demand for charter schools remains high. Almost 145,000 students were in charter schools in 2023-24.
