Waters Edge Village School (WAVES), a public charter school serving Corolla, briefed the Currituck County Board of Commissioners on May 19 about steady enrollment growth, student performance and a nearly completed new school building funded through a local capital campaign.

Meghan Agresto, board president of the Waters Edge Village School/Corolla Education Foundation, told commissioners the school opened in 2012 with 16 students and has grown to 50 students this school year, with plans to serve 60 students in 2025–26. Agresto described WAVES as a North Carolina public school of choice overseen by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and operating under a nonprofit board.

“ We opened in September 2012 with 16 students…This year, the 2024–25 school year, we have 50 kids; we’re at max capacity,” Agresto said. The school uses a project‑based learning model, small student‑teacher ratios (12:1), and a mix of community volunteers and contracted services (occupational therapy, school psychologist) for special‑education needs.

Brian Daggett, WAVES’ treasurer, reported the school’s recent academic proficiency for tested grades is 78% in both math and reading, compared with North Carolina averages of 54% (math) and 50% (reading). He walked commissioners through the school’s revenue mix: state per‑pupil funding as the primary source, county per‑student allocations (Currituck’s 2023–24 contribution was about $100,000), some federal rural funding, and charitable donations. WAVES expects Currituck funding for 2025–26 of about $160,000.

Daggett and Agresto detailed a $2.4 million capital campaign to construct a school building adjacent to the historic Corolla schoolhouse. The project relied on more than 700 donors and several major gifts; construction is nearly complete with a mid‑to‑late June finish anticipated and the new classrooms planned to serve students in fall 2025. The school team asked commissioners to consider capital support where appropriate, noting a 2022 law change allows counties to contribute to charter school capital campaigns.

Commissioners and attendees praised WAVES for its academic outcomes and community role. WAVES representatives said the historic schoolhouse will continue to house kindergarten through second grade to preserve the campus’s small‑school character.