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American Leadership Academy Charlotte

Public, Charter Grades K-8

1293^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

American Leadership Academy Charlotte is a small K-8 public charter school in Charlotte, NC, serving 277 students in a high-poverty area where nearly 95% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school currently holds a 1-star rating from the state and ranks in the 13th percentile of North Carolina schools. While this represents an improvement from the past few years when it sat in the 6th to 7th percentile, it remains far below most nearby schools. The ALA Charlotte district itself ranks near the bottom statewide.

The single greatest concern for parents is chronic absenteeism. In 2024-25, 61.1% of ALA Charlotte students were chronically absent, compared to the state average of 24.2%. No nearby school is even close—the next highest, Devonshire Elementary, is at 41.2%, while Charlotte East Language Academy is at just 7.5%. This attendance crisis has worsened steadily for five consecutive years and makes academic progress very difficult. Academically, the school shows some puzzling patterns. Third grade math is a relative strength at 62.5% proficiency, nearly matching the state rate. However, 3rd grade reading is the deepest weakness at just 22.5%, well below every nearby school. Math performance also collapses as students advance: by 8th grade, only 26.1% are proficient, compared to the state rate of about 53%. Science results are the weakest in the local cluster, with 5th grade proficiency at 34.4% versus a state rate of 67.7%.

It is important to note that poverty does not explain these results. Many surrounding Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have similar or even higher poverty rates yet perform significantly better. Charlotte East Language Academy, a K-8 school just three miles away with a 99.5% poverty rate, ranks in the 67th percentile statewide and posts dramatically higher test scores in nearly every grade and subject. Because ALA Charlotte is so small—roughly 30 students per grade—year-to-year test scores can swing sharply based on the strengths of a single cohort. Still, the patterns of chronic absenteeism, weak early reading, declining middle-school math, and poor science results have persisted across multiple years, making clear that these are serious, systemic challenges rather than temporary fluctuations.

277

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

94.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8000 Robinson Church Road
Charlotte, NC 28215

(704) 595-3012

District: ALA Charlotte

Racial breakdown:

African American:

74.7%

Hispanic:

15.5%

Two or more races:

5.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare American Leadership Academy Charlotte to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (38% vs 59% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (61% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

North Carolina avg59%

Elementary school

1,293^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

703^rd of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 10%▼ down 13 pts since 2021

From bottom 22% (2021) to bottom 10% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

232^nd of 246ALA Charlotte among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.0	1293 of 1492	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.8	1381 of 1490	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.0	1413 of 1505	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	1406 of 1502	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	1266 of 1514	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.5	988 of 1489	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.0	916 of 1473	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.3	1100 of 1434	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.3	1179 of 1429	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	12.2	1306 of 1425	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	17.3	1252 of 1440	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.0	657 of 903	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.2	798 of 918	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.9	778 of 924	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.9	845 of 933	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.8	716 of 927	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	48.0	384 of 896	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.8	299 of 949	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.8	490 of 927	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.7	1092 of 1447	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.6	1325 of 1451	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	37.7	934 of 1458	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.1	988 of 1440	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.3	1122 of 1434	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.0	1254 of 1437	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	1299 of 1450	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.3	1352 of 1437	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	33.4	959 of 1366	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.6	522 of 1329	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.6	711 of 1361	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.4	778 of 1332	41.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.4	1358 of 1451	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.2	1370 of 1450	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.1	1459 of 1464	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.0	1233 of 1464	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	42.7	806 of 1444	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.8	1025 of 1430	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.7	1100 of 1413	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.0	703 of 778	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.4	725 of 784	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	30.6	558 of 786	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.6	575 of 741	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.8	382 of 553	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.1	514 of 559	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	50.5	221 of 550	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.0	325 of 533	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.3	561 of 731	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.2	541 of 733	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.4	496 of 706	29.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.0	634 of 725	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	6.0	718 of 735	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	53.9	274 of 689	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	27.0	478 of 633	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	3.2	731 of 736	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.5	604 of 711	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

African American (2026)27th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2026)25th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile+8 vs school

Male (2026)6th percentile-7 vs school

Middle school

African American (2026)31st percentile+21 vs school

Female (2026)23rd percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)13th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)1st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Reading38%-18 vs state

Science38%-30 vs state

Mathematics38%-22 vs state

5.0

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★3

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Monday, October 24, 2022

Aristotle is a wonderful place to learn because of its dedicated, professional staff and outstanding curriculum. After years of public, charter, and homeschool teaching experience, I’m thrilled to find a school that has high expectations and holds teachers and students to them!

This is the place for your child if you want them to learn respect, accountability, curiosity across all subjects, and a global knowledge base that will help them relate anywhere.

This is NOT the place to run from discipline, be lazy, try bullying or violent behaviors, or play politics. Charter One Schools like Aristotle have a mission to instill moral character and academic excellence, which is sorely missing from many current institutions. A free education is the law, but a good education is a privilege. This takes work and willingness from parents, children, and teachers together.

Overall, the school provides a great education based on core values that are delivered with healthy boundaries so students can be successful in the professional world. The caring and qualified teachers and staff make it that much better! Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, February 20, 2019

I was hesitant to enroll my son at APA- but I heard about the new principal that was brought on was doing great things. Two years ago, I did a tour of the school and was so impressed. I enrolled my son this year and the teachers, staff, just overall a great caring school. My son has had issues with the CMS schools- but here- he loves his teachers and calls APA his extended family. I heard this was not the case three years ago- and the new principal has done a great deal for the school- including hiring some amazing teachers. Close Quote

Schools Near American Leadership Academy Charlotte

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
American Leadership Academy Charlotte	Public, Charter	K-8	8000 Robinson Church Road	Charlotte	28215	Mecklenburg County	ALA Charlotte	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 595-3012	277	17	16.2	94.6%	8 (2.9%)	207 (74.7%)	43 (15.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (5.8%)	19	1293^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	13.3%		12.8	1381^st of 1490 public elementary schools	7.3%	88	62.5	35.1	42.4	28.6	25.6	26.1	22.5	54.1	39.4	39.3	39.5	34.8	34.4	43.5
Hickory Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6709 Pence Rd	Charlotte	28215	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-6464	643	32	20.2	99.5%	27 (4.2%)	230 (35.8%)	319 (49.6%)	45 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.3%)	25.4	1176^th of 1492 public elementary schools	21.2%		16.6	1332^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	10.6%	156	61.2	40.9	46.7				49.0	41.9	42.2				50.0		$10,933	$1,524	$9,409
J. H. Gunn Elementary	Public	K-5	7400 Harrisburg Rd	Charlotte	28215	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-6477	616	37	16.4	99.5%	33 (5.4%)	210 (34.1%)	322 (52.3%)	36 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.3%)	33.6	1034^th of 1492 public elementary schools	30.7%		27.2	1130^th of 1490 public elementary schools	24.2%	96	58.7	52.1	46.8				52.2	51.5	41.4				61.3		$10,183	$1,341	$8,842
Reedy Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10801 Plaza Rd Ext	Charlotte	28215	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-6480	850	55	15.3	99.6%	59 (6.9%)	408 (48.0%)	269 (31.6%)	56 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	57 (6.7%)	45.5	816^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.3%		41.9	882^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	40.8%	66	62.9	62.9	56.1				53.0	50.0	51.3				64.3		$9,604	$751	$8,853
Grove Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7515 The Plaza	Charlotte	28215	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(980) 343-6900	740	42	17.6	99.6%	57 (7.7%)	252 (34.1%)	360 (48.6%)	42 (5.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.6%)	21.2	1261^st of 1492 public elementary schools	15.5%		27.1	1134^th of 1490 public elementary schools	23.9%	127	57.6	41.8	38.5				45.5	45.1	44.4				42.7
Lawrence Orr Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4835 Shamrock Dr	Charlotte	28215	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-9919	751	50	15.1	99.6%	29 (3.9%)	230 (30.6%)	415 (55.3%)	54 (7.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (2.9%)	44.9	830^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.4%		27.3	1123^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	24.6%	293	79.4	52.0	57.0				56.9	44.9	44.2				62.8		$10,043	$1,471	$8,571
Joseph W Grier Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	8330 Grier Rd	Charlotte	28215	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-5671	529	33	16.2	99.4%	30 (5.7%)	239 (45.2%)	223 (42.2%)	25 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.3%)	23.2	1224^th of 1492 public elementary schools	18.0%		19.1	1294^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.2%	70	52.7	46.3	42.5				44.0	54.9	35.6				47.7		$10,343	$1,072	$9,271
Devonshire Elementary	Public	K-5	6500 Barrington Dr	Charlotte	28215	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-6445	550	32	17.2	99.5%	17 (3.1%)	125 (22.7%)	394 (71.6%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	4 (0.7%)	14.1	1374^th of 1492 public elementary schools	7.9%		9.8	1425^th of 1490 public elementary schools	4.4%	51	31.9	32.9	52.6				26.4	24.7	34.6				62.8		$9,844	$1,144	$8,700
Albemarle Road Elementary	Public	K-5	7800 Riding Trail Rd	Charlotte	28212	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-6414	711	43	16.7	99.6%	18 (2.5%)	156 (21.9%)	449 (63.2%)	75 (10.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.7%)	32.5	1048^th of 1492 public elementary schools	29.8%		22.1	1243^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	16.6%	195	59.4	55.9	50.0				45.3	51.0	44.0				54.5		$10,415	$1,158	$9,257
Charlotte East Language Academy	Public, Magnet	K-8	6108 Wilora Lake Rd	Charlotte	28212	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-0380	594	51	11.6	99.5%	43 (7.2%)	40 (6.7%)	496 (83.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (1.9%)	66.1	491^st of 1492 public elementary schools	67.1%		61.6	536^th of 1490 public elementary schools	64.0%	45	81.3	78.5	68.6	72.7	62.3	71.7	49.5	68.4	55.7	48.5	44.2	58.7	71.4	87.0	$12,246	$1,264	$10,982

Frequently Asked Questions about American Leadership Academy Charlotte

What district is American Leadership Academy Charlotte in?

ALA Charlotte

Is American Leadership Academy Charlotte a good school?

American Leadership Academy Charlotte ranks in the bottom 13.3% of North Carolina elementary schools.

How many students attend American Leadership Academy Charlotte?

In the 2024-25 school year, 277 students attended American Leadership Academy Charlotte.

What is the racial makeup of American Leadership Academy Charlotte?

Students at American Leadership Academy Charlotte are 75% African American, 16% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% White.

Rate American Leadership Academy Charlotte!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.