NC Coalition for Charter Schools

10/12/2026

🎉 Welcome to the Coalition, Warren YES!

We’re delighted to welcome Warren YES as our newest member school. Located in Norlina, the elementary school opened its doors this year as one of North Carolina’s newest charters.

YES stands for Young Explorers School, and its approach rests on four pillars:
🌎 Place-based learning
🌱 Outdoor and agricultural education
💚 Holistic health and wellness
🎨 Creative expression

Please join us in giving Warren YES a warm welcome in the comments! 👇

The Coalition is delighted to welcome Warren YES, a charter elementary school in Norlina, as our newest member school!

09/30/2026

Every fall, Mr. Benson at Sugar Creek Charter School sends the same email to staff: bring in your old ties, even the ones from the '80s. 👔

Why? Because he teaches second graders how to tie a tie, and what ties mean. It's one small part of how this Charlotte charter school teaches students the "unwritten rules" of college and career.

Sugar Creek serves one of the lowest-income parts of Charlotte, and its mission is to break the cycle of generational poverty through rigorous education. The results speak for themselves. Its Black and Hispanic students outperform their Charlotte peers in math, reading, and English, and the school has met or exceeded academic growth benchmarks in 9 of the past 10 years.

The support reaches families too, with monthly parent seminars, a free mobile dental clinic, and a family resource room with a food pantry, clothes, and a washer and dryer.

One of our favorite parts of the story is last year's salutatorian. She arrived in elementary school from Africa, new to how school even works, and graduated with a full ride to Saint Louis University. 🎓

Read the full story of how Sugar Creek defied the odds 👇

A new Coalition feature story shares a behind-the-scenes look at how one Charlotte charter school defied the odds with its students.

09/08/2026

📅 Mark your calendars, NC charter community!

The Coalition's 5th annual Charter Advocacy Summit will take place March 2-3, 2027, in Raleigh -- and we can't wait to see you there.

Our 2026 Summit sold out, with more than 300 charter stakeholders representing 120+ schools coming together to advocate for NC's charter school movement. We're excited to convene again and make 2027 even bigger!

Check out our new save-the-date flyer and share it with your school leaders and fellow advocates. More details on registration coming soon!

08/18/2026

🎉 Ten public charter schools made the Top 30 Best High Schools in North Carolina list, just released by U.S. News & World Report for 2026-27!

🏆 No. 5: Raleigh Charter High School (Wake County)
🏆 No. 10: Woods Charter School (Chatham County)
🏆 No. 12: The North Carolina Leadership Academy (Forsyth County)
🏆 No. 15: TMSA Triangle Cary (Wake County)
🏆 No. 18: Lake Norman Charter School (Mecklenburg County)
🏆 No. 20: Research Triangle High School (Durham County)
🏆 No. 21: Pine Lake Preparatory (Iredell County)
🏆 No. 27: Gray Stone Day School (Stanly County)
🏆 No. 28: Henderson Collegiate (Vance County)
🏆 No. 29: Franklin Academy Charter School (Wake County)

Public charter schools complement, rather than compete with, traditional public schools. They offer parents something they desire: an array of options for their children's schooling.

Congratulations to these outstanding public charter schools, and especially their students and faculty.

Join us in celebrating these incredible schools, students, and educators! 👏

08/07/2026

🎉 Big news for existing NC charter schools! Great Schools North Carolina is launching its next School Quality Cohort grant cycle -- and applications open August 19!

This 18-month opportunity is designed for charter leaders ready to identify specific levers of change and implement lasting improvements at their schools. Selected leaders will receive:

✅ Up to $150,000 in funding for school improvement efforts
✅ Personalized coaching aligned to your school's goals
✅ Access to expert partners and technical assistance
✅ A community of charter leaders learning together
✅ Support building a strategic action plan for stronger student outcomes

📅 Applications open: August 19 - September 8
📝 Info Session: August 18 at 4pm - register to learn more
☕ Office Hours: August 26-28, 10-11am - get your questions answered

If you're a charter school leader looking to build on what's working and tackle persistent challenges head-on, this is worth a look. Read more and access GSNC's flyer on our blog:

Great Schools NC is launching its next school quality grant cycle on August 19. This grant is for existing charter schools. Check it out!

08/04/2026

*A look behind the scenes: how policy provisions make their way into a state budget*

North Carolina's new state budget includes two provisions the Coalition has been advocating for over the past year:

✅ EC Funding -- DPI will allocate $4.1 million to charter schools that didn't receive full per-pupil funding for students with disabilities who enrolled in the first 60 days of the 2025–2026 school year. The budget also puts a process in place aimed at preventing this kind of shortfall going forward.

✅ Audit Deadlines -- Charter schools will now have a minimum of six months after the fiscal year ends to submit financial audits, bringing their timeline in line with traditional public schools.

Getting there took time: the Coalition advocated on behalf of member schools to House and Senate Education Budget Chairs for consideration. DPI raised questions along the way, which our team worked through. From April through the end of session, we stayed in touch with Budget Chairs and legislative leadership as the budget came together.

Ultimately, it was the General Assembly's decision to include these provisions in the final budget -- and we're grateful to the lawmakers and staff who gave them serious consideration!

📖 Full recap:

What does it take to get charter-friendly provisions in the state budget? Check out the behind-the-scenes work of Coalition lobbyists.

07/30/2026

🎉 Congratulations to three students from Pinnacle Classical Academy, a K-12 public charter school in Shelby and proud Coalition member, on representing their school at North Carolina Girls State and Boys State this summer!

Adrianna Hayes, August Terry, and Mason Kistler spent a week diving into how government works, from campaign speeches to hands-on civic participation, all while building leadership skills and making lifelong friends.

Here's what Adrianna had to say about the experience: "Being able to stand at a podium and give a campaign speech was a huge step out of my comfort zone, but it was the coolest thing ever... It's more than having fun -- you learn so many new things you wouldn't have if you never took this chance."

Programs like Girls State and Boys State, sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary and American Legion, are a fantastic example of the leadership opportunities charter schools help open up for students. Congratulations, Adrianna, August, and Mason -- we're proud of you!👏

Congratulations to three students from Pinnacle Classical Academy, who participated in Girls and Boys State this summer!

07/23/2026

The numbers are in, and they tell a great story for public charter schools – both here in North Carolina and across the country! 🎉

Nationwide, more than 3.7 million students now attend one of 8,150 charter schools, taught by roughly 251,000 teachers, across 45 states. And the momentum keeps building: charter enrollment has grown 12% over just the last five years, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

Here in NC, that same growth is happening in real time – five new charter schools are set to open their doors to students next month! It's clear that families across the country continue to see public charter schools as a great option for their kids.

Nationwide, trends and data point to the same thing: Public charter schools continue to be a popular option for families across the states.

07/20/2026

Attention Raleigh parents! Join the John Locke Foundation for their FREE Back 2 School Launch Party on Saturday, August 8, from 9 AM–12 PM in Raleigh!

Bring the whole family for a morning of free school supplies (while they last), inflatables, music, snow cones, games, and activities for kids of all ages. No registration needed – just show up and join the fun!

While you're there, learn more about JLF's work expanding educational opportunity through school choice and other policies that help NC students and families thrive.

👉 Learn more:

Kick off the new school year with the John Locke Foundation at our FREE Back 2 School Launch Party! Bring the whole family for a fun-filled morning

07/14/2026

New data from the state's Division of Non-Public Education shows private school enrollment up 6.1% this year, while the latest charter schools report shows public charter enrollment grew 4.9% – now representing more than 10% of all public school students in NC. Meanwhile, homeschool enrollment dipped 7.5%, and traditional public school enrollment slipped 1.8%.

What does it add up to? Families are choosing the setting that works best for their child.

Whether that's a charter school, a private school, or the traditional public school down the road, parents deserve a choice in their children's K-12 education.

New numbers from the NC Division of Non-Public Education reveal growing private school enrollment, declining home school enrollment.