Ready to choose a charter school? Check out these options.

For students now, though, things look a bit different. Neighborhood schools are hit or miss and school options abound. In this current political climate, charter schools across our nation and here in North Carolina are highly debatable. What’s not debatable, though, is that we all want what’s best for our kids.

If your kiddo is entering kindergarten or you’re looking for a new option for upcoming grades, a charter could very well be the way to go. The way to get in to these schools is through the lottery system. If you’re going this route, now is the time, as many lotteries have either closed or are closing soon. Here are five charters you may not know about and may want to consider for the coming year, or in the future.

Veritas Community School

Founded in 2015 by Katy Ridenour and her board of directors, Veritas operates under three pillars: academics, health/wellness and peace. What makes Veritas unique is its commitment to movement. With an hour of physical education daily, kids are getting their recommended 60 minutes of exercise per day before they even get home from school.  Students are taught peaceful conflict resolution and interactions daily through their peaceful classroom curriculum alongside their individualized yet rigorous academic curriculum. Yoga helps students focus and connect with their inner selves, bringing their peaceful curriculum full circle.

Grades: K-5 (growing to K-8)

Location: 2600 Grimes St.

Lottery: Ends March 19. Sign up here.

Pioneer Springs Community School

Since 2014, Pioneer Springs has been operating as a charter school under the philosophy of Dr. Boyer’s Basic School with an emphasis on nature. The four pillars for Pioneer, aligning with Dr. Boyer, are The School as a Community, A Curriculum with Coherence, A Climate for Learning and a Commitment to Character. Pioneer Springs commits to educating the whole child through outdoor classrooms, tree climbing, regular yoga and responsibilities, such as caring for the school chickens. Students are outside daily at their historic campus, regardless of weather, and the front porches of the historic Croft School and Davis House are filled with rain boots for muddier days.

Grades: K-6 (Growing to K-8)

Location: 9300 Bob Beatty Road

Lottery: Ended March 2. Register for waitlist here. 

Charlotte Lab School

Charlotte Lab opened in 2015 as a “Breakthrough Model” for the Next Generation Learning Challenge. Located in uptown, Charlotte Lab is right by ImaginOn, The Levine Museum of the New South and First Ward Park, giving student access to tons of resources in the city. Community partnerships are an integral part of Charlotte Lab’s curriculum, allowing for experiential learning, seeing Charlotte as its learning “lab.”

Grades: K-6 (Growing to K-8)

Location: 301 E 9^th St.

Lottery: Ends March 10. Register here.

Community Charter School

Located in the historic Cherry Neighborhood in a beautiful historic schoolhouse, Community Charter School believes strongly in project-based learning and individualized curriculum.  The arts are incorporated into daily activity by having full-time art and music teachers. As an A+ School (based on Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences), Community Charter School includes art in order to allow students to learn through a multitude of varying modalities.

Grades: K-5

Location: 510 S. Torrence St.

Lottery: Ended March 1. Register for waitlist here.

Queen City STEM School

A growing trend in school curriculum is STEM schools, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. This integrated philosophy is proven success for students of all academic backgrounds and abilities. Queen City STEM focuses on diversity and industriousness to prepare students through community and family partnerships for the 21^st century world.

Grades: K-6 (growing to K-12)

Location: 8701 Mallard Creek Road

Lottery:  Ends April 1. Register here.