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North Carolina K-12 School System
Kindergarten through twelfth grade, as shown in the chart, is how North Carolina differentiates each grade level that students must complete in order to move on to college. North Carolina abbreviates the school system by saying "K-12." The "K" represents kindergarten, where students start their education process. Twelfth grade is represented as "12." This is the last year a student is required to attend school before choosing whether or not to continue to college.
| School |
Grades |
| Elementary School |
Kindergarten (K) + 1st - 5th grade |
| Middle School |
6th - 8th grade |
| High School |
9th - 12th grade |
K-12 Education
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district (CMS) is made up of 154 public schools open to all children to enroll. At the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year, there were more than 130,000 students enrolled in CMS schools.
Each school is in a school district in Charlotte or Mecklenburg County. The district in which a family lives gives their children the opportunity to attend a school in the neighborhood. However, children do not have to attend the neighborhood public school. The parents can choose to send them to one of several public schools that have focuses on different areas of study. Students enjoy the environment of the public school systems in North Carolina because of teachers have the freedom to be creative and develop flexible teaching methods to accommodate individual learning styles.
Many parents interviewed expressed that their children's education is the most important interest in their lives while the children still live at home. They said they feel that during the day when their children are in school they know that they are receiving the proper education to prepare them for the future.
There are also approximately 125 private schools in the Charlotte area. The private schools usually require students to apply to attend, and pay yearly tuition. On the positive side, parents who send their children to private schools feel that the smaller class size typical of private schools.
There is also the option of "homeschooling." Basically, homeschooling is parent- directed education. This can occur in the kitchen of a home or in other locations in a home - for example, a spare room, the garage, the basement or the back porch. A number of parents find ways to teach their children outside of the home. Examples include taking lessons or going on "field trips" such as to the library, area museums or to a farm in the country. In short, parents assume full responsibility for educating their children. The parents may choose to involve others to help with the education, but the parents are still in charge. There is a huge variety of reasons why parents may choose not to send their children to public schools. A majority of homeschoolers have one or more of the following three basic reasons: 1) they do not like the traditional school environment; 2) they want to preserve their family's religious or moral values; 3) they believe they can provide a higher quality of education for their children than the traditional schools.
An Exciting Time for Students
When students reach middle school, which is sixth through-eighth grades, and high school, which is usually ninth-twelfth grades, students are allowed the option to pick "elective" courses. The elective courses are open to the student to decide what they want to take and are classes such as a foreign languages, physical education, photography and many more. This allows students to create a well-rounded knowledge of a different set of skills. There is also the opportunity to participate in "extra-curricular" activities. This means that students can play sports and join student organizations. Many students play sports because of the excitement they bring to the pride of the school. Students really enjoy being able to have the chance to represent their school in a positive and fun environment.
Twelfth grade is the last year a student will be in the public or private school. Some students decide to end their education after twelfth grade. College is not a requirement for students. However, students who decide to go to college do so in order to increase their chances of getting a professional career after graduating.
A North Carolina twelfth grade student said that, "It is important for a person to decide what is best for them when deciding about going to college." Some feel that college is not what they want to do directly after graduating high school.
CMS is known for its commitment to recognizing and valuing diversity throughout the organization. In the shrinking world we live in, having the understanding of and respect for other cultures is very important to the success of the young students. North Carolina strongly supports the World View Program that was established in 1998 to help educators respond to the challenges of this interconnected world. CMS defines diversity as "differences that define each of us individually, and collectively. These differences include race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, disability, or skill level. By recognizing, respecting, and valuing these differences, CMS can capitalize on the benefits that diversity brings to its environment."
To learn more: Charlotte Mecklenburg School System