Raleigh, N.C. — The state Department of Public Instruction has received 70 applications from organizations proposing to open public charter schools next year, including a dozen in Wake County.
The glut of applications is the largest ever submitted in North Carolina since charter schools began operating in 1997, officials said.
"As the number of quality charter schools continues to grow in North Carolina, the Department of Public Instruction will continue to work closely with these new public schools to meet students' needs and boost academic achievement," State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson said in a statement.
In addition to eight charter schools proposed in Raleigh, three were proposed in Wake Forest, and one was proposed in Cary.
Four others have been proposed for Durham, and seven others are scattered across the Triangle and Sandhills, from Mebane in the west to Henderson and Roanoke Rapids in the north to Clinton in the southeast.
Proposed schools go through a detailed review by state officials before the State Board of Education even considers granting them a charter. The board is expected to vote this week on 25 charters for schools hoping to open in August.
Currently, 107 public charter schools operate in North Carolina, serving nearly 50,000 students.



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March 6, 2013 5:22 p.m.
March 6, 2013 5:13 p.m.
March 6, 2013 3:59 p.m.
The applications for the proposed charter schools for 2014/2015 can be found here: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/applications/2014-15/
The charter school application information for the 2013/2014 year can be found here: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/applications/2013-14/
March 6, 2013 2:08 p.m.
Thank you and I agree 100%. The charter school my kids go to is amazing. They do however expect parents to be heavily involved. What real parent wouldn't want to be invovled with their childrens education anyway? I think we all know the answer to that. The charter schools are great and you get a private school education without the outragous cost.
March 6, 2013 1:22 p.m.