Explanation of Types of Public Schools in North Carolina

Note: All of the school types below are public schools, in that they are funded primarily through public tax dollars.

Regular School: a public school that students are assigned to attend because they live in the school's attendance area or attendance zone. Such schools are sometimes called “zoned schools,” “neighborhood schools” or “ZIP code schools,” and are normally only open for enrollment to students from a predetermined set of neighborhoods or ZIP codes. Regular schools are by far the most common type of school in the Charlotte area.

Charter School: a tuition-free, public school created on the basis of a license or “charter” made with the State Board of Education. Charter schools typically have greater freedom than traditional public schools in personnel policies, curriculum and teaching philosophy. In return, they must make a commitment to meet state standards of accountability. Charter schools are also normally open to students from counties and towns outside of where they are located. Enrollment decisions at charter schools are often lottery-based, with special consideration given to siblings of currently enrolled students.

Student Growth Index Explained

The Student Growth Index of a school is meant to measure how well the school has been growing student learning over time (i.e., years). North Carolina's public schools receive web-based reporting through the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS). EVAAS is meant to offer an objective way to measure student progress and the value schools add to students' educational attainment. EVAAS is a statistical analysis of North Carolina state assessment data, and the system provides NC schools with growth data to consider, in addition to achievement data.

If a school has a Student Growth Index of between -2.0 and 2.0, the school is deemed to have "met growth", (i.e., met its average projected growth target). A school with a Student Growth Index of less than -2.0 is considered to have "not met growth". Finally, a school with an index of greater than 2.0 is deemed to have "exceeded growth".

Best Charter Schools in Durham, NC Area

Below we display data on 18 charter schools in the greater Durham area.

Charter schools are public schools which are funded with taxpayer dollars and are not private schools. Typically charter schools are independently operated, and not subject to many of the mandates and work rules that local county or city schools must abide by.

You can click on a specific school for more information on test scores, student data and more:

Top Charter Schools - Durham NC & Suburbs

Rank	School Name	City	Grades Served
1	Woods Charter School	Chapel Hill, NC	K-12
2	Research Triangle High School	Durham, NC	9-12
3	The Expedition School	Hillsborough, NC	K-8
4	Orange Charter School	Hillsborough, NC	K-10
5	Roxboro Community School	Roxboro, NC	6-12
6	Chatham Charter School	Siler City, NC	K-12
7	Voyager Academy	Durham, NC	K-12
8	Central Park School For Children	Durham, NC	K-8
9	Bethel Hill Charter School	Roxboro, NC	K-5
10	Willow Oak Montessori School	Chapel Hill, NC	1-6
11	Maureen Joy Charter School	Durham, NC	K-8
12	Kestrel Heights School	Durham, NC	K-12
13	Global Scholars Academy	Durham, NC	K-8
14	Research Triangle Charter School	Durham, NC	K-8
15	Reaching All Minds Academy	Durham, NC	K-5
16	Carter Community Charter School	Durham, NC	K-8
17	The Institute for the Development Young Leaders	Durham, NC	K-8
18	Healthy Start Academy	Durham, NC	K-8

Rank	School Name	City
1	Woods Charter School	Chapel Hill, NC
2	Research Triangle High School	Durham, NC
3	The Expedition School	Hillsborough, NC
4	Orange Charter School	Hillsborough, NC
5	Roxboro Community School	Roxboro, NC
6	Chatham Charter School	Siler City, NC
7	Voyager Academy	Durham, NC
8	Central Park School For Children	Durham, NC
9	Bethel Hill Charter School	Roxboro, NC
10	Willow Oak Montessori School	Chapel Hill, NC
11	Maureen Joy Charter School	Durham, NC
12	Kestrel Heights School	Durham, NC
13	Global Scholars Academy	Durham, NC
14	Research Triangle Charter School	Durham, NC
15	Reaching All Minds Academy	Durham, NC
16	Carter Community Charter School	Durham, NC
17	The Institute for the Development Young Leaders	Durham, NC
18	Healthy Start Academy	Durham, NC

Best Durham Area Charter Schools - Click any of the pushpins below to see more details on each school

Best Durham Area Charter Schools

Because educational philosophies can differ greatly from one charter school to the next, further investigation should be undertaken to determine which charters schools in Durham and surrounding towns would be best for your child.

Durham Area Public Schools

Best Elementary Schools in Durham Area
Best Middle Schools in Durham Area
Best High Schools in Durham Area
Durham Area Charter Schools

Raleigh Area Public Schools

Best Elementary Schools in Raleigh Area
Best Middle Schools in Raleigh Area
Best High Schools in Raleigh Area
Raleigh Area Charter Schools


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