Top 10 Best Charter Public Schools in North Carolina (2024) (2024)

FAQs

What is the number one charter school in NC? ›

Raleigh Charter High School

#1 Best Charter High Schools in North Carolina.

For the fourth year in a row, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics has been ranked the No. 1 public high school in North Carolina – and for the third year running as one of the top two public high schools in all of America – by the Niche.com school ranking site.

Carolina Charter Academy 2024 Rankings

Carolina Charter Academy is ranked #981 in North Carolina Elementary Schools and ranked #304 in North Carolina Middle Schools.

North Carolina charter schools received 10.3 percent less funding than district schools: $8,995 vs. $8,065 per pupil, a difference of $930. 161 ▪ North Carolina charter schools received $8,065 per pupil, but district schools would have received $8,978 to educate the same students – a difference of $913 or 10.2 percent.

Charter schools are public schools with more flexibility than traditional public schools. North Carolina lawmakers authorized the establishment of charter schools in 1996 to encourage the use of innovative teaching methods and “provide parents and students with expanded choices… available within the public school.”

Finally, the report will highlight best practices and recognitions within the large range of diverse and unique North Carolina charter schools, as well as information regarding access to the state's charter schools. As of the submission of this report, there are 210 operating charter schools in the state1.

What rank is Raleigh Charter High School NC? ›

Raleigh Charter High School 2024 Rankings

Raleigh Charter High School is ranked #156 in the National Rankings.

George Ellery Hale Charter Academy 2024 Rankings

George Ellery Hale Charter Academy is ranked #260 in California Middle Schools.

The number of North Carolina charter schools has grown steadily since the state lifted the 100-school cap in 2011. It hit 210 in 2023-24 and will remain the same in 2024-25.

Charters are governed by non-profit corporations instead of local Boards of Education. Some charters' boards of directors contract with a for-profit company to operate the school on a day-to-day basis, but all charter schools are non-profit.

Of the 46 states/jurisdictions with legislative approval for public charter schools as of fall 2021, the District of Columbia had the highest percentage of public school students enrolled in charter schools (45 percent), followed by Arizona (20 percent).

Charter schools are not required to be accredited, but may elect to become accredited. Accreditation is a process performed by special outside private associations. Charter schools are approved by the State Board of Education to open and operate a public school.

California was home to 1,234 charter schools, 18 percent of the nationwide total and more than any other state.

Currently, only the State Board of Education can authorize charter schools.