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Seven charter schools in the Charlotte region were among 25 that got final approval to open in 2013-14 from the N.C. Board of Education on Thursday.
The schools will add about 3,000 seats for students who want to attend the tuition-free alternative public schools, which are run by independent nonprofit boards.
The state board approved all 25 applications that had cleared the N.C. Charter School Advisory Board in July. The state legislature recently lifted the 100-school cap on charters, clearing the way for a boom.
The applications in the Charlotte region include several that propose to offer better options for disadvantaged students on Charlotte’s west side, along with two large schools in Cabarrus and Iredell counties, both operated by the Florida based management company Charter Schools USA.
This year, about 9,300 Mecklenburg students are expected to attend charter schools, compared with 140,000 in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Final enrollment tallies won’t be in until the 20th day of school in late September.
