Summary:
Island Montessori Charter is a single-school public charter district in Wilmington, NC, serving grades K–8 with 220 students. Island Montessori Charter School is the only school in the Island Montessori Charter district, so this analysis compares its performance against state averages rather than nearby schools. The school enjoys a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.5 and a chronic absenteeism rate of 16.8%, notably better than the state's 24.2%. In 2024–2025, the school beat state averages in both reading and science, with an especially strong 8th grade cohort scoring 75% proficient in reading and 79.2% in science, far above statewide rates.
However, the 2025–2026 school year brought a sharp reversal. Reading and science proficiency both fell below state averages, dragging the school below the state in all three tested subjects. The most persistent weakness is mathematics: no grade level met the state average in either year. The largest gaps appear in middle grades, with 6th grade math proficiency collapsing to 22.7% in 2025–2026 against a 59.2% state average, and 5th grade math at just 28.6% the previous year. Even the school's best math result, 7th grade at 50%, still trailed the state's 53.5%.
These swings moved the school's overall ranking from the 42nd percentile (2 stars) in 2024–2025 down to the 19th percentile (1 star) in 2025–2026. Parents should note that with only 220 students spread across K–8, each grade holds roughly 20 to 25 children, so a small number of students can cause large year-to-year fluctuations. Still, the consistent math deficits across multiple grades point to a clear need for math intervention, while the recent decline in reading and science suggests the school also needs to focus on sustaining its previous strengths.
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