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CCS-Whiteville Archives - North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools

Sep 04
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CCS-Leland and CCS-Whiteville are National Beta Schools of Merit

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Students from CCS-Whiteville cheer each other on during one of the school’s annual FASTAR testing competitions. Photo credit: CCS-Whiteville.

Congratulations to CCS-Leland and CCS-Whiteville! These two classical charter schools and Coalition member schools have been named 2024-25 National Beta Schools of Merit. According to the schools, National Beta is the largest independent honor society in the nation.

We share more below from the CCS-Whiteville and CCS-Leland announcement:

The award honors Beta Clubs that include members from all eligible grade levels and reflect a strong commitment to academic excellence, leadership, and service.

Both schools also achieved top national rankings at the 2025 National Beta Convention in Orlando. CCS-Whiteville’s Elementary Robotics team (made up of Adam Ahmad, Caleb Hobbs, Hunter Thomas, Ryan Martin, and John Hudson Richardson) placed tenth, while CCS-Leland had two students place individually. Jace Granda placed tenth in 6th Grade U.S. History, and Alex Eaton placed ninth in 7th Grade U.S. History.

“At our school, we strive to cultivate leadership, service, and academic excellence. National Beta embodies all of that and more,” said Laurie Benton, headmaster of CCS-Leland. “I couldn’t be prouder of our Beta Club students. Their achievements reflect not only their dedication and character, but also the spirit of our entire school community.”

Kimberly Patrick, headmaster of CCS-Whiteville, echoed Benton’s sentiment. “Our Beta Club has continued to shine on the national level, and I am so proud of them. These students truly represent what CCS-America is all about.”

Great job, CCS-Leland and CCS-Whiteville!

Apr 23
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Classical Charter Schools of America mark annual FASTAR testing competition

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Last week was FASTAR® time at Classical Charter Schools of America, a North Carolina network of free public charter schools.  FASTAR®, which stands for Fluent Academic Skills Tournament in Arithmetic and Reading, is a testing competition–or race–with clever and obvious references to NASCAR.

This was the 20th anniversary of  FASTAR® for the CCS-America schools.

Here’s the recap from CCS-America:

Our elementary students lined up in their racing lanes, cheered on by classmates and family members. Middle school “pit crew” members helped time the racers and made sure everything ran smoothly.

As soon as they heard “Go!” the students took off, first reading a passage out loud and then racing through sheets of math facts. They sped to the finish line, with some races decided by just seconds.

All of our campus winners will face off at the Race of Champions, which is scheduled for next Wednesday, April 30th. The school with the most speed and accuracy will take home the trophy as 2025’s FASTAR® Champion!

Congratulations to all of our racers, pit crew members, and winners! Thank you to all classmates, family members, and friends for cheering the racers on!

We share photos from CCS-Wilmington and CCS-Whiteville below:

Students from CCS-Wilmington. Photo courtesy of CCS-America.

Students from CCS-Whiteville. Photo courtesy of CCS-America.

Mar 13
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Two N.C. classical charter schools earn top testing honors

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Founder Baker Mitchell (center) with CCS school leaders. Photo: Facebook/CCS Leland.

Congratulations to two Classical Charter Schools of America (CCSA) schools for winning top honors on the Classic Learning Test (CLT8)! The N.C. charter schools, CCS-Leland and CCS-Whiteville, tied for first and third, respectively, in a ranking of test performance for more than 250 schools across the nation. The CLT8 assesses the performance of eighth graders in the areas of Verbal Reasoning, Grammar and Writing, and Quantitative Reasoning, according to CCSA.

Screenshot source: CLT 8 rankings.

We share more information below from a Classical Charter Schools news update:

CCS-Leland and CCS-Whiteville have tied for #1 and #3, respectively, among more than 250 schools nationwide in the Classic Learning Test’s (CLT8) 2025 CLT8 School Rankings.

Of the 20 highest-scoring schools, they are the only public, only charter, and only tuition-free schools. All the other top-ranking schools are private schools charging from $6,200 to $36,000 in yearly tuition.

The three-hour CLT8 is designed to measure eighth-grade students’ readiness for high school. Much of the content on the exam is drawn from classical literature, grammar, classical mathematics, and historical texts, all of which are central in CCS-America’s classical curriculum.

“We couldn’t be prouder of our students and staff for their hard work, which has led to this confirmation of our curriculum’s effectiveness,” CCS-America founder Baker Mitchell, Jr. said. He noted that a majority of the students who took and excelled on the CLT8 were students who had attended the schools since the beginning of their education, allowing them to enjoy a substantial academic edge from CCS-America’s innovative and carefully sequenced classical curriculum.

Jessica Lopez, Dean of Classical Humanities, added, “Last year, we were excited to see CCS-Leland rank in the top 20 nationally in the 2022-23 CLT8. That was our first time participating in the exam. This year, we are thrilled to see both Leland and Whiteville students achieve such outstanding results. It is clear that the dedication to our unique classical curriculum and innovative methodologies by CCS-America’s deans, academic coaches, teachers, and especially our students has paid off tremendously.”

“Out of the hundreds of schools that take the CLT8 every year, CCS-Leland and CCS-Whiteville’s recognition in Classic Learning Test’s 2025 School Rankings is a remarkable achievement,” said CLT officials.

Congratulations to Leland and Whiteville for such an outstanding accomplishment! Learn more about the CLT8 using the link below.

What is the CLT8 and how did we do?

Congratulations to CCS-Leland and CCS-Whiteville!

Both schools are Coalition member schools.

Apr 17
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It’s FASTAR® Championship Week at Classical Charter Schools of America

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For Classical Charter Schools of America, it’s FASTAR® Championship Week! FASTAR® is a fun academic competition assessing rapid recall of math and reading skills–with an obvious nod to NASCAR (can’t miss those checkered flags!). According to CCS-A, two of the four North Carolina schools have finished early FASTAR® competition already: CCS-Whiteville and CCS-Wilmington. CCS-Leland competes today, while CCS-Southport launches tomorrow. Competition culminates in next Wednesday’s “Race of Champions.”

Student winners receive trophies after qualifying races are over. Roger Bacon Academy, which partners with CCS-A, developed the clever competition, re-purposing the lingo of NASCAR into new roles for academic pit crews, crew chiefs, timing trials, and more. Watch a CCS-A video about FASTAR® here.

Here’s the update from CCS-A’s newsletter today:

CCS-America students competing in the annual FASTAR® (Fluent Academic Skills Tournament in Arithmetic and Reading) competition will race to the finish line this week, with the Race of Champions scheduled for next Wednesday, April 24th. CCS-Whiteville and CCS-Wilmington checkered-flag champions have completed their preliminaries after two exciting race days filled with close competition!

Congratulations to these Coalition member schools! We share pictures below from Classical Charter Schools-Whiteville and Classical Charter Schools-Wilmington.

Above and immediately below: Students from CCS-Whiteville at FASTAR 2024. Photo credit: Facebook, CCS-Whiteville.

Above and below: Students from CCS-Wilmington at FASTAR 2024. Photo credit: Facebook, CCS-Wilmington.