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Central Wake High School Archives - North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools

Jun 19
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New state charter annual report highlights a growing, thriving sector

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A team from Pine Springs Preparatory Academy with members of the St. Charles School community in Tanzania. PSPA team members traveled to Tanzania in 2025 to serve local schools, and their global service is highlighted in the new charter report. Photo courtesy of Kristen Favia/PSPA.

The state’s new 2025 Annual Charter Schools Report is out! The North Carolina Charter Schools Review Board approved the report last week. Now, the report heads to the State Board of Education and later, to the General Assembly.

What’s a top-line takeaway from the report? Numbers highlight a growing and thriving charter sector, as evidenced by student enrollment/K-12 market share, the number of charter schools, long-term and recent trends, and national data.

In her presentation to CSRB last week, Ashley Logue, executive director of the Office of Charter Schools, said the report shares data from the 2024-25 school year, along with data on the current year, when available. Some report highlights are below.

Charter enrollment and schools

North Carolina charter schools served 161,057 students during 2025-26, representing 10.5% of public school market share in the state. At the beginning of the school year, 213 charter schools operated statewide–a high water mark, according to the presentation. However, CSRB closed two charter schools mid-year, so 211 charter schools operated this spring.

Screenshot from Ashley Logue’s presentation to CSRB.

At the beginning of this school year, 138 charter schools reported over 59,000 students on waitlists. As the report notes, some names may be duplicates, as students may be on more than one waitlist.

North Carolina’s charter sector has attracted national attention for rapid growth. Logue cited an enrollment brief from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, tracking trends across the country between 2019-20 and 2024-25. That brief found that North Carolina had the fourth-fastest growing charter enrollment in the nation, behind only Texas, Florida, and California.

Screenshot from Logue’s presentation to CSRB.

Demographics, academic performance, and more

The annual report also includes information on charter student demographics and academic performance. Charter schools in North Carolina serve a higher percentage of white and Black students, and lower percentages of Hispanic students, compared to traditional district schools.

Charter schools are also making small improvements in school performance grades and with academic growth–and are seeing decreases in the percentage of low performing schools.

Remote charter academies continue to grow in number, with 10 operating across the state during this school year. Nineteen are expected to operate in 2026-27.

Charter school spotlights

The end of the annual report includes information that spotlights “best practices and innovation” among our state’s charter schools. Congratulations to all of the charter schools and leaders named in the report!

Here are some of the entries from Coalition member schools.

  • School turnaround and academic achievement: Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy and Central Wake High School
  • National recognition and awards: Northeast Academy for Aerospace & Advanced Technologies (NEAAAT) and TMSA Apex, along with numerous charter schools earning Purple Star Awards
  • Student achievement and leadership: Moram Hamed from TMSA Triad and Roshan Naik from Pine Lake Preparatory
  • Global engagement and service: Pine Springs Preparatory Academy
Jan 02
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EdNC features the innovative work of Central Wake High School

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Asa Fleming, Dr. Robert Taylor, and Tom Hanley. Kristen Blair/EdNC.

EdNC has published a new feature story highlighting the innovative work of Central Wake High School in Raleigh. The alternative high school, which operates as a public charter school, focuses on dropout prevention and recovery. Central Wake partners with the school management company Accelerated Learning Solutions (now known as Second Mile Education).

The Coalition’s communications director, Kristen Blair, wrote the story following a school tour with Dr. Robert Taylor, the superintendent of Wake County Public Schools. During his visit, Taylor met with school leaders (school founder and board president Asa Fleming and executive principal Tom Hanley) along with two Central Wake students.

Here’s an excerpt below from the article:

When Tzara Albiter Acosta, 18, first arrived at Central Wake High School in Raleigh, her self-confidence was at a low ebb. “I thought, ‘This is just going to be another school,’” she said of the public charter school, which specializes in dropout prevention and recovery.

She, like other students at Central Wake, had tried a number of different educational experiences.

Middle school was fraught academically. “I failed so many classes,” said Albiter Acosta, who has Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Resignation had set in. “This is going to be the same thing,” she said.

Still, a realization had emerged about her earlier school experiences. “I wasn’t getting the things I needed,” she said.

Devon Wells, a 17-year-old Central Wake student who also has ADHD, had trouble completing assignments in different school settings. “The resources weren’t really there,” Wells said.

“They’ve tried everything,” said Tom Hanley, Central Wake’s executive principal, of the at-risk students who enroll at his school. Students’ lack of success across multiple school settings “feels like something,” he added. “That goes to their sense of pride and their sense of self-worth.”

At Central Wake, students receive wraparound supports and self-paced learning. Three descriptive pillars — flexible, personalized, supportive — buttress the school’s model. Everything coalesces in pursuit of this singular objective: high school graduation.

“The main goal is to get across the stage,” said Hanley.

Now the school’s approach is attracting attention from other education leaders.

Read the full article on EdNC.

Central Wake High School is a Coalition member school.

May 30
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Coalition Member Schools in the News

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We have some exciting news to share about recent recognitions of Coalition member schools!

Two charter schools receive county-wide honors

Piedmont Community Charter School was recognized as “Best Charter School” by the Gaston Gazette’s “Best of Gaston” awards. Holly White, the elementary school principal was the winner in the “Best Principal” category, while Dawn Johnston was honored as “Best Teacher.” David Benfield, a middle school principal, earned finalist recognition for “Best Principal.”
Community Charter School earned finalist recognition for “Best Charter School.” Monica Dellinger was a finalist for “Best Principal.”
Read more about the awards from the Gaston Gazette.

Monica Dellinger (second from left) celebrates recognition through Gaston Gazette’s Community Choice awards. Photo credit: Community Charter School, Facebook.

One charter school’s approach to ‘second chances’ garners media coverage

Central Wake High School is the subject of a recent feature article from The Carolinian. Central Wake serves students ages 16 to 21 who are at risk of academic failure. Read the article here.
Congratulations to these outstanding Coalition member schools!