Fourteen nonprofit boards submitted applications to open public charter schools in August 2021. A listing of applicants is available on the N.C. Department of Public Instruction Office of Charter Schools' website.
The deadline to submit an application for the 2021-22 school year was Aug. 26. Each applicant was required to pay a $1,000 application fee, complete criminal background checks on its proposed board members and provide a detailed description of the proposed school’s mission, goals, education plan, operations and governance plan, and financial plan.
The Office of Charter Schools will review the applications for completeness before forwarding them to the N.C. Charter Schools Advisory Board (CSAB). The CSAB will use an established structure, including external evaluators and applicant interviews, to review the applications. At the conclusion of this process, the CSAB will recommend applicants to the State Board of Education for approval.
North Carolina currently has 196 charter schools open for students. The State Board of Education approved 12 schools in June and July to begin a planning year for preparation to open in August 2020.
Charter schools are public schools operated by nonprofit boards. The schools have open enrollment, and no tuition is charged to attend. Tax dollars are the primary funding source for charter schools. Visit the N.C. Office of Charter Schools’ website for more information.