Piedmont Community Charter wins 10-year charter renewal; board celebrates academic awards and enrollment growth

Piedmont Community Charter School’s board celebrated formal notification that the North Carolina Charter School Review Board approved a 10-year charter renewal on Jan. 13, the head of school told trustees at the February meeting.

The nut graf: The 10-year renewal follows the school’s submission of required materials and a performance review in which the charter school performance framework found the school compliant in required areas; board members thanked administration and staff for preparing the renewal materials.

The head of school reported that the school’s Charter School Performance Framework — which was a central part of the renewal review — showed the school to be compliant in every area evaluated, including operational renewal monitoring criteria. The head of school also announced academic recognitions for the 2023–24 school year: awards for meeting academic growth metrics, an outstanding graduation-rate award for a ninth-grade cohort exceeding 100 students, and a high-school choir selection for the Mars Hill College Choral Festival. The enrichment report noted gains in elementary reading and math proficiency between the beginning and middle of the year.

Enrollment and admissions: the head of school reported 1,924 students on the January enrollment report and 1,911 students on a February 11 report; the school has more than 1,000 applications pending for the upcoming lottery, which remains open until the application deadline in March.

Less critical details: the board also received personnel and withdrawal reports and was reminded that next board meeting date is March 18.