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 Raleigh, NC Area

Below we display data on 21 charter schools in the greater Raleigh 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 - Raleigh NC & Suburbs

Rank	School Name	City	Grades Served
1	Quest Academy	Raleigh, NC	K-8
2	Raleigh Charter High School	Raleigh, NC	9-12
3	Magellan Charter School	Raleigh, NC	3-8
4	Endeavor Charter School	Wake Forest, NC	K-8
5	Triangle Math and Science Academy	Cary, NC	K-11
6	Sterling Montessori Academy	Morrisville, NC	PK-8
7	Franklin Academy	Wake Forest, NC	K-12
8	Exploris Middle School	Raleigh, NC	K-8
9	Wake Forest Charter Academy	Wake Forest, NC	K-7
10	Longleaf School of the Arts	Raleigh, NC	9-12
11	Envision Science Academy	Wake Forest, NC	K-8
12	East Wake Academy	Zebulon, NC	K-12
13	Cardinal Charter School	Cary, NC	K-8
14	Neuse Charter School	Smithfield, NC	K-12
15	Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School	Raleigh, NC	PK-8
16	Southern Wake Academy	Holly Springs, NC	6-12
17	Crosscreek Charter School	Louisburg, NC	K-8
18	Torchlight Academy	Raleigh, NC	K-7
19	Hope Elementary School	Raleigh, NC	K-5
20	PreEminent Charter School	Raleigh, NC	K-8
21	Rocky Mount Prep	Rocky Mount, NC	K-12

Rank	School Name	City
1	Quest Academy	Raleigh, NC
2	Raleigh Charter High School	Raleigh, NC
3	Magellan Charter School	Raleigh, NC
4	Endeavor Charter School	Wake Forest, NC
5	Triangle Math and Science Academy	Cary, NC
6	Sterling Montessori Academy	Morrisville, NC
7	Franklin Academy	Wake Forest, NC
8	Exploris Middle School	Raleigh, NC
9	Wake Forest Charter Academy	Wake Forest, NC
10	Longleaf School of the Arts	Raleigh, NC
11	Envision Science Academy	Wake Forest, NC
12	East Wake Academy	Zebulon, NC
13	Cardinal Charter School	Cary, NC
14	Neuse Charter School	Smithfield, NC
15	Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School	Raleigh, NC
16	Southern Wake Academy	Holly Springs, NC
17	Crosscreek Charter School	Louisburg, NC
18	Torchlight Academy	Raleigh, NC
19	Hope Elementary School	Raleigh, NC
20	PreEminent Charter School	Raleigh, NC
21	Rocky Mount Prep	Rocky Mount, NC

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

Best Raleigh 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 Raleigh and surrounding towns would be best for your child.

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

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


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