38 NC charter school applicants for 2018

The North Carolina charter school office received 38 applications for new schools that would open in 2018.

As usual, most of the applications are for schools that would operate in urban counties or counties surrounding them. Seven applications are for schools in Wake and six are for schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. One application is for a school in Durham. The latest round of applications is now closed.

Charter schools expanded quickly after the state eliminated the 100-school limit in 2011. The state has 167 schools, with eight more preparing to open in 2017. The student population is growing faster in charters than in traditional public schools, though the charter population is a fraction of the traditional school population.

The Charter School Advisory Board reviews applications and makes recommendations for approval to the State Board of Education.

This story was originally published September 22, 2016 at 3:56 PM with the headline "38 NC charter school applicants for 2018."