Our Public Schools

Parents in the Charlotte area have a choice of educational alternatives — in the public school system as well as among a number of private schools.

Within the public schools, families have the opportunity to choose the school that best meets their needs under the school choice assignment plan. There are also various magnet schools which offer intensive courses of study in specialized areas.

CMS also offers themes in 49 elementary and middle schools. These themes offer students an opportunity to broaden their learning experiences while focusing on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Application to theme schools will be considered just like other schools throughout the district. Priority will be given to those students who have a guaranteed seat in the choice theme school. Students may also select from other theme schools and magnet schools in their choice zone with transportation provided. Families may list other theme school and magnet schools outside of their choice zone on their application; however, transportation will not be provided.

Theme schools include A+ Academy, Academy of Creative Learning, Academy of Excellence, Academy of Quality Achievement, Academy of World Studies, Alive with Literarcy, Career Exploration, Center of Humanities-A Community of Diverse Learners, Citizenship and Character Development, George Washington , Global Village, Renaissance Academy, School Integrated Technology, The Basic School Reform Model,Thinking Map School, and University Learning Center. In addition, N.C. charter schools are part of the greater public school system.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

701 E. Second St.

All area codes for CMS are (980).

Schools

Total number of schools..................................... 161

Elementary school............................................... 94

Middle schools..................................................... 32

High schools........................................................ 25

Special program.................................................. 10

New schools opened in 2006-07......................... 14

Graduates

Total number of 2006 graduates................................... 6,073

Percentage of 2006 graduates who took the SAT.......... 69%

Top 10% of 2006 CMS graduates—average SAT score.. 1207

Top 10% of students in state......................................... 1179

Top 10% of students in nation....................................... 1184

Scholarships received by CMS students (2005-06)

Academic................................................. $43.5 million

Athletic.................................................... $21.1 million

Employees

Total number of employees........................................................ 16,325

Total number of full-time teachers............................................. 8,432

Total number of student support staff........................................ 6,918

Total number of administrative/office staff................................ 975

Total number of teachers with advanced degrees...................... 2,500

Total number of teachers with national board certification....... 951

Students

Total number of students enrolled.............. 129,011

Pre-Kindergarten......................................... 3,268

Kindergarten-Grade 5.................................. 63,384

Grades 6-8................................................... 29,207

Grades 9-12................................................. 36,420

Ethnic Distribution of Students

American Indian/Multi Racial....................... 3.5%

Asian............................................................. 4.3%

African-American......................................... 42.4%

Hispani......................................................... 13.6%

White........................................................... 37.2%

Diversity in CMS

Native languages spoken by students in CMS....... 97

Countries represented in CMS.............................. 152

Students enrolled in ESL....................................... 10,833

State ABCs Programs

Honor School of Excellence.............................. 11

Schools of Distinction....................................... 19

High growth schools......................................... 16

CMS Board of Education

The CMS Board of Education (a publicly elected body) holds its regular meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month in the board room on the fourth floor of the Education Center.

For the latest information, tune in to CMS-TV channel 3 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily throughout the school year. The station serves students, teachers and families by broadcasting informative, educational programming to help teachers enhance curriculum and to provide news and information about CMS.

For more information, visit www.cms.k12.nc.us on the Web.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg 2007-2008 School Calendar

First day of school..................................... Aug. 27

Labor Day holiday...................................... Sept. 3

Teacher workday....................................... Oct. 25

Teacher workday/parent conferences...... Oct. 29-30

Veterans Day holiday................................ Nov. 12

Thanksgiving holiday................................. Nov. 21-23

Winter break............................................. Dec. 24-Jan. 1

M. L. King holiday...................................... Jan. 21

Teacher workday...................................... Jan. 22

Teacher workday...................................... Feb. 18-19

Holiday..................................................... Mar. 24

Teacher workday...................................... Mar. 25

Spring break............................................. Apr. 7-11

Memorial Day........................................... May 26

Last day of school.................................... June 10

Makeup days:

Nov. 21, Feb. 19, Feb. 18, April 11, April 10, April 9

Magnet Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Some students excel in the arts, others prefer math and science. Self-motivated learners may thrive in an environment rich with independent study and experimentation, while those who need guidance and structure may learn best in a more traditional classroom setting.

Because children have different interests and different styles of learning, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools offers students the option to apply to a public school that offers a specialized program of study. Magnet programs are represented at the annual CMS Showcase of Schools in January, and many schools host open houses to allow families to tour and talk to administrators.

Admission to any magnet school is by application (parents may indicate several choices). Students must be residents of Mecklenburg County, and children entering CMS for the first time must initially register at their assigned school. Magnet schools have varying boundaries for CMS-provided transportation.

After the school system places continuing students and their siblings, students who attended a nonmagnet school that became a whole magnet in 2006-07 and students who live within one-third mile of whole magnets, vacancies in the magnet programs are filled by lottery. Some programs have prerequisites: Students applying for Talent Development require certification, and there are math and foreign language requirements for entrance into the high school International Baccalaureate program.

In the spring, parents are notified in writing if their children have been selected for admission to a magnet school. A waiting list is kept for each school and parents are notified of their number on the school’s waiting list; they may accept their second choice.

Once a student attends a magnet school, the assignment is final for the remainder of the student’s elementary, middle or high school experience. In some magnet programs, students automatically continue from one magnet school to another (i.e., middle to high school).

For a current list of magnet schools, please visit http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/programs/magnet/index.asp

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Phone Directory

To see a comprehensive list of schools including addresses, phone numbers and school websites, please visit the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools website.  http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/allschools/allschools.asp

Private Schools

To see a comprehensive list of private shools, view our Private School Directory.