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Lakeside Charter Academy

Public, Charter Grades K-8

1461^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Lakeside Charter Academy is a small K–8 charter school in Cornelius, NC, serving 221 students and operating as its own single-school charter district. For the 2025–2026 school year, Lakeside ranks 1,461 out of 1,492 North Carolina schools, placing it in the 2nd percentile with a 0-star rating. The contrast with nearby schools is dramatic: nearly every school within a few miles ranks in the 90th percentile or above, including Grand Oak Elementary (98th percentile, 5 stars), Davidson Elementary (98th percentile, 5 stars), and J.V. Washam Elementary (94th percentile, 5 stars).

Academic proficiency at Lakeside is far below state averages and neighboring schools. Only 9.1% of 3rd graders were proficient in reading, compared with 55.6% statewide and 85.9% at Grand Oak. Fifth-grade math proficiency was 27.3%, versus 93.8% at J.V. Washam and 90.1% at Davidson. Perhaps the most telling metric is chronic absenteeism: roughly 1 in 3 students at Lakeside is chronically absent (30.7% in 2024–2025), compared with only 9.8% at Grand Oak, 10.1% at Davidson, and 5.5% at North Academy of World Languages. By comparison, the state average is 24.2%. This attendance gap is likely a major driver of the achievement gap. The school's student-teacher ratio of 14.9 is actually similar to nearby schools, so staffing levels do not appear to be the main factor.

Lakeside's rankings have swung wildly from year to year — from the 78th percentile in 2015–2016 to the 23rd percentile in 2018–2019, up to the 44th percentile in 2021–2022, then collapsing to the 2nd percentile in 2025–2026. With only 20–25 students per grade, a single small cohort can dramatically shift results. Notably, 2024–2025 data showed bright spots: 3rd grade reading proficiency reached 62.5% and 8th grade reading hit 60%, both above state averages. Nearby North Academy of World Languages proves that a K–8 school can thrive in this same area, ranking 58th statewide with a 5.5% chronic absenteeism rate. For parents considering Lakeside, the combination of very low test scores and extremely high absenteeism are the most important factors to weigh.

221

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

14.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

17609 Old Statesville Rd
Cornelius, NC 28031

(704) 896-9500

District: Lakeside Charter Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:

34.8%

Hispanic:

29.9%

African American:

28.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Lakeside Charter Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 78th percentile in 2016 → 2nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (27% vs 60% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 76 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

North Carolina avg60%

1,461^st of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 76 pts since 2016

From top 22% (2016) to bottom 2% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

245^th of 246Lakeside Charter Academy 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	5.3	1461 of 1492	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	38.6	944 of 1490	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	7.5	1453 of 1505	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	32.3	1050 of 1502	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.4	853 of 1514	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.0	913 of 1489	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.4	1138 of 1473	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.1	1004 of 1434	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.7	954 of 1429	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	75.1	307 of 1425	78.5%	★★★★☆
2015	70.4	407 of 1440	71.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	17.0	1302 of 1455	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.1	1055 of 1459	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.1	801 of 1458	45.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	31.7	1043 of 1450	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	1388 of 1464	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	46.7	807 of 1461	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.0	758 of 1464	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.6	776 of 1444	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.7	1129 of 1430	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	7.4	1144 of 1166	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	950 of 1183	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.3	976 of 1194	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	57.5	473 of 1172	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	36.8	496 of 773	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.7	681 of 793	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	632 of 784	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.0	608 of 786	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.8	583 of 741	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	54.6	316 of 733	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	82.4	108 of 733	85.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	11.1	698 of 751	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.2	616 of 711	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Male (2025)28th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2024)11th percentile+7 vs school

White (2024)2nd percentile~ school

Middle school

Female (2025)57th percentile+21 vs school

Male (2024)7th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science36%-31 vs state

Mathematics27%-36 vs state

Reading23%-33 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lakeside Charter Academy

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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
Lakeside Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	17609 Old Statesville Rd	Cornelius	28031	Mecklenburg County	Lakeside Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(704) 896-9500	221	15	14.9		77 (34.8%)	62 (28.1%)	66 (29.9%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.4%)	5.3	1461^st of 1492 public elementary schools	2.1%		38.6	944^th of 1490 public elementary schools	36.6%	517			27.3				9.1		36.4				36.4
J.V. Washam Elementary	Public	K-5	9611 Westmoreland Rd	Cornelius	28031	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-1071	818	47	17.5	23.2%	550 (67.2%)	66 (8.1%)	130 (15.9%)	29 (3.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.1%)	91.6	91^st of 1492 public elementary schools	93.9%		88.6	127^th of 1490 public elementary schools	91.5%	36	90.8	87.4	93.8				73.8	74.1	72.4				89.0		$8,082	$405	$7,677
Grand Oak Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	15410 Stumptown Rd	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-2063	549	36	15.2	21.3%	368 (67.0%)	61 (11.1%)	69 (12.6%)	23 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.1%)	95.9	28^th of 1492 public elementary schools	98.1%		97.1	19^th of 1490 public elementary schools	98.7%	9	89.1	91.8	87.2				85.9	92.8	88.5				89.7		$9,599	$758	$8,841
Cornelius Elementary	Public	K-5	21126 Catawba Ave	Cornelius	28031	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-3905	542	36	15.0	29.0%	373 (68.8%)	48 (8.9%)	81 (14.9%)	19 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.9%)	87.1	155^th of 1492 public elementary schools	89.6%		85.5	164^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.0%	9	83.0	90.4	77.5				68.9	81.9	73.5				80.4		$8,730	$538	$8,193
Davidson Elementary	Public	K-5	635 South St	Davidson	28036	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-3900	1,185	74	16.1	11.3%	879 (74.2%)	67 (5.7%)	133 (11.2%)	54 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	50 (4.2%)	95.8	30^th of 1492 public elementary schools	98.0%		95.8	44^th of 1490 public elementary schools	97.0%	14	87.8	94.3	90.1				87.1	91.4	85.9				88.7		$8,947	$371	$8,576
Huntersville Elementary	Public	K-5	200 Gilead Rd	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-3835	867	56	15.3	23.3%	462 (53.3%)	104 (12.0%)	154 (17.8%)	107 (12.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (4.5%)	90.6	107^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.8%		89.4	117^th of 1490 public elementary schools	92.1%	10	86.5	78.9	85.3				79.1	77.7	74.0				88.0		$9,728	$667	$9,061
Torrence Creek Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	14550 Ranson Rd	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-0695	653	45	14.5	39.5%	338 (51.8%)	86 (13.2%)	170 (26.0%)	18 (2.8%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	37 (5.7%)	76.4	298^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.0%		78.5	270^th of 1490 public elementary schools	81.9%	28	78.1	74.8	73.7				65.1	71.2	59.6				75.8		$9,633	$652	$8,981
Coddle Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	141 Frank's Crossing Loop	Mooresville	28115	Iredell County	Iredell-Statesville Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 439-1550	808	51	15.6	29.1%	423 (52.4%)	69 (8.5%)	134 (16.6%)	116 (14.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (8.0%)	70.3	409^th of 1492 public elementary schools	72.6%		70.1	390^th of 1490 public elementary schools	73.8%	19	84.2	64.0	67.4				74.8	62.1	59.4				71.0		$7,589	$331	$7,258
North Academy of World Languages	Public, Magnet	K-8	12201 Hambright Rd	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-0743	668	45	14.9	40.1%	172 (25.7%)	279 (41.8%)	160 (24.0%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (7.5%)	94	58^th of 1492 public elementary schools	96.1%		91.8	84^th of 1490 public elementary schools	94.4%	26	100.0	94.1	100.0	75.0	79.5	68.3	91.8	80.4	85.1	76.0	80.7	76.8	93.8	92.6
Blythe Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	12202 Hambright Rd	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-5770	902	56	15.9	99.7%	94 (10.4%)	480 (53.2%)	229 (25.4%)	52 (5.8%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (4.8%)	69.2	430^th of 1492 public elementary schools	71.2%		56.3	628^th of 1490 public elementary schools	57.9%	198	66.7	71.9	62.0				61.4	68.0	66.2				78.2		$9,814	$778	$9,035

Frequently Asked Questions about Lakeside Charter Academy

What district is Lakeside Charter Academy in?

Lakeside Charter Academy

How many students attend Lakeside Charter Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 221 students attended Lakeside Charter Academy.

Is Lakeside Charter Academy a good school?

Lakeside Charter Academy ranks in the bottom 2.1% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Lakeside Charter Academy?

Students at Lakeside Charter Academy are 35% White, 30% Hispanic, 28% African American, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Rate Lakeside Charter Academy!

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Schools in Cornelius, NC

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.