Summary:
Johnston Charter Academy is the only school in this data set, a K–8 charter school in Clayton, NC, serving 677 students with just over half eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is part of the Johnston Charter Academy district/LEA, which ranks 29th out of 246 in North Carolina. This is a school on a clear upward trajectory: its statewide rank has improved from the 64th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 80th percentile in 2025–2026, and it now holds a 4-star rating.
Academically, Johnston Charter Academy shows standout strengths in science and reading. In 5th and 8th grade science, proficiency rates are roughly 87–88%, about 20 percentage points above the state average. Reading is consistently strong across every tested grade, with the largest advantages in 3rd, 4th, and 8th grades, each exceeding the state by 12 or more points. Elementary math is also a major positive: 3rd and 4th grade proficiency rates are above 75%, well ahead of the state. However, there is one clear caution flag: middle-school math. In 7th grade, only 50% of students scored proficient, compared with the state average of 56.2%. This same cohort also lagged in 6th grade math the prior year, which suggests a persistent area for improvement rather than a one-year issue.
Several other points stand out. Chronic absenteeism is 17.9%, notably lower than the state’s 24.2%, even though it still affects about one in five students. The school also showed dramatic year-over-year gains: 4th grade math jumped 21.3 points, and 8th grade science rose 16.5 points, helping to drive the school’s rise in rankings. Given that Johnston Charter Academy serves a substantially economically diverse student body, its strong scores across most grade levels and subjects are especially noteworthy. For parents, this data describes a high-performing, improving school with excellent science and reading, strong elementary math, and a targeted need to boost middle-school math outcomes.
Thank you for your feedback!