The List Of Best Schools In North Carolina’s Largest School District Is Out-Does Your Child Attend One?

When starting a retail business, you are told the three most important things are location, location, and location.  Similarly, when buying a home, location is-and should be-a primary consideration.  Specifically, what school district (or further, what schools within the district) does your neighborhood feed.  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is the state of North Carolina's largest school district.  Honestly, within it there are "bad" schools and tremendous ones.  Niche.com has published their list of the top elementary, middle, and high schools in the district.  Here's what they say.

When it comes to elementary schools, from third to first, the ranking goes:  Polo Ridge Elementary School, Highland Hill Montessori School, and New Rea Farms STEM K-8 School.  Normally, I would gripe about the loss of a great golf course but welcome a great school where Charlotte Golf Links once was.  According to Niche.com, It has 961 students in grades K-8 with a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1. According to state test scores, 80% of students are at least proficient in math and 76% in reading.  In my opinion, that teacher to student ratio is HUGE when it comes to this success.

As far as middle schools go, from third to first, the ranking goes:  Jay M. Robinson Middle School, Community House Middle School, and topping the list (once again) is New Rea Farms STEM K-8 School.

And when it comes to CMS High Schools, from third to first, the ranking goes:  Providence High School, Charlotte Engineering Early College, and topping the list Ardrey Kell High School.  Despite having almost 35oo students, Ardrey Kelll still boasts an impressive 21 to 1 student to teacher ratio.  And as far as testing goes?  Results show that AK has more than righted the ship post-pandemic.  According to the latest scores of Ardrey Kell High School's kids, 91% of students are at least proficient in math and 86% in reading.

Does your child attend one of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' top schools?

Yesterday 8 North Carolina schools were named National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. According to the Department of Education, "the recognition is based on a school's overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student groups on assessments. These schools demonstrate what is possible to make an enduring, positive difference in students' lives." A total of 353 schools nationwide received this distinction, this included 313 public schools and 40 private schools. Each of the 8 North Carolina schools recognized was a public school.

The award-winning schools will be formally recognized at an awards ceremony on November 16 and 17, 2023 in Washington, DC. This is the 40th year the Department of Education has selected the National Blue Ribbon Schools. According to the department the criteria for public schools are as follows:

Performance Award Criteria for Public Schools: In order to be eligible for nomination, a school must meet several criteria based on the performance of its students on state assessments in reading (or English language arts) and mathematics or a composite of performance on these assessments with other measures of student performance (e.g., student growth on state assessments, performance on state assessments in other subjects, graduation rates, or other indicators in the state’s accountability system).

You can read more about the eligibility requirements here. Congratulations to each of these eight North Carolina Schools that received the National Blue Ribbon Schools recognition. They represent elementary, middle, and high schools across the state. In fact, there are 7 different school districts represented with the remaining school being a charter school. Keep reading to see and learn a little more about each of these schools. Congratulations and thank you to the teachers and staff of these schools for giving your best to the children of North Carolina!

Location: 5337 Highway 264 East, Washington, NC

District: Beaufort County Schools

Public

Beaufort County Early College High School exists in coordination with Beaufort County Community College where students can earn college credits while in high school. It's one of only two high schools that made this list.

Location: 1355 Charlotte Highway, Fairview, NC

District: Buncombe County Schools

Public

There are actually several Fairview Elementary Schools in Charlotte. This one though is in Buncombe County and has approximately 660 students in Kindergarten through Fifth grade.

Location: 4049 Battleground Avenue, Greensboro

District: n/a

Public

Greensboro Academy is a charter school in Greensboro. Charter Schools offer a private school quality eduction but for free. Students simply have to apply for admission which is available to any student in NC. Greensboro Academy serves grades K-8.

Location: 70 Sanders Road, Wilmington

District: New Hanover County Schools

Public

Known as Bellamy Elementary School, this award-winning school serves students in grades 1-5 in Wilmington, NC.

Location: 1600 N Morris Street, Gastonia

District: Gaston County Schools

Public

Our second and last high school on this list, is Highland School of Technology in Gastonia. Highland is the first magnet high school in this district. Students complete courses in one of three academies: Health Sciences; Business, Legal, and Information Sciences; and Manufacturing/Engineering Technology and Graphics. 

Location: 5925 Ballantyne Commons Parkway, Charlotte, NC

District: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools

Public

Jay M Robinson is a 6-8th grade middle school in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte. It's home to the Chargers!

Location: 6260 E Blalock Road, Lucama NC

District: Wilson County Schools

Public

Lucama serves students in Wilson County in grades K-5. They state the school's purpose is to develop each student to their fullest potential.

Location: 1885 Odell School Road, Concord, NC

District: Cabarrus County Schools

Public

Odell Elementary is a grades 3-5 elementary school in Concord, NC.