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NC Virtual Academy

Public, Charter, Virtual, Alternative Grades K-12
1024th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,490 North Carolina Alternative Schools
Better than 31% of North Carolina alternative schools
Summary

NC Virtual Academy is a public charter virtual school serving grades K-12 in Durham, North Carolina, with an enrollment of 2,959 students. While the school has seen improvements in its 4-year graduation rate over the years, it still lags behind the state average, indicating a need for more support to help students successfully complete their high school education.

One of the key challenges facing NC Virtual Academy is its academic performance. The school's test scores consistently fall below the state averages across most grade levels and subjects, including 3rd grade math proficiency of 45.3% compared to the state's 64.1%. Additionally, the school has a relatively high student-teacher ratio, ranging from 21.5 to 23.2, which may impact the level of individualized attention students receive. Interestingly, another virtual school, North Carolina Cyber Academy, outperforms NC Virtual Academy on test scores, suggesting that the virtual school model can be implemented more effectively.

When compared to nearby charter schools and traditional public schools, NC Virtual Academy's academic performance lags behind. Schools like Woods Charter, Triangle Math and Science Academy, and Excelsior Classical Academy significantly outperform NC Virtual Academy on test scores, highlighting the potential for charter schools to deliver stronger academic outcomes compared to the virtual model. This pattern is not unique to NC Virtual Academy, as Ignite Online Academy, a virtual school within the Durham Public Schools district, also underperforms the district and state averages on most metrics.

3,482
Students ?
18.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
26.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 4220 NC Highway 55
       Durham, NC  27713

(919) 346-0121

District: NC Virtual Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:
42.5%
African American:
29.3%
Hispanic:
14.3%
more
 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

 Compare NC Virtual Academy to nearby alternative schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 47th percentile in 2022 → 36th in 2025
Worth a look
!Test scores below the North Carolina average (45% vs 55% meeting standards)
!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (79% vs 88%)
!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2022
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school45%
North Carolina avg55%
Elementary school
1,024th of 1,490
North Carolina public elementary schools ?
Bottom 31%▲ up 15 pts since 2017
From bottom 16% (2017) to bottom 31% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
537th of 773
North Carolina public middle schools ?
Bottom 31%▲ up 3 pts since 2017
From bottom 27% (2017) to bottom 31% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
High school
410th of 641
North Carolina public high schools ?
Bottom 36%▼ down 1 pts since 2019
See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202533.61024 of 149031.3%★★☆☆☆
202438.7958 of 150536.3%★★☆☆☆
202340.9917 of 150238.9%★★☆☆☆
202235.21001 of 151433.9%★★☆☆☆
202140.6865 of 148941.9%★★☆☆☆
201924.11204 of 147318.3%★☆☆☆☆
201827.41116 of 143422.2%★☆☆☆☆
201721.41197 of 142916.2%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202545.1497 of 91845.9%★★☆☆☆
202452.4394 of 92457.4%★★★☆☆
202352.9399 of 93357.2%★★★☆☆
202248.7418 of 92754.9%★★★☆☆
202148.9369 of 89658.8%★★★☆☆
201928.5758 of 94920.1%★☆☆☆☆
201828.9730 of 92721.3%★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202235.7391 of 63438.3%★★☆☆☆
202161.4160 of 64675.2%★★★★☆
201939.0545 of 87837.9%★★☆☆☆
201836.1595 of 89733.7%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202546.2263 of 56353.3%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202535.2985 of 145132.1%★★☆☆☆
202442.0867 of 145540.4%★★☆☆☆
202346.6794 of 145945.6%★★☆☆☆
202239.6894 of 145838.7%★★☆☆☆
202145.0753 of 144047.7%★★☆☆☆
201929.81082 of 142424.0%★☆☆☆☆
201832.11051 of 140525.2%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202551.6453 of 96152.9%★★★☆☆
202448.0479 of 95149.6%★★☆☆☆
202349.0453 of 91550.5%★★★☆☆
202257.4311 of 89365.2%★★★☆☆
202155.1309 of 84363.3%★★★☆☆
201946.3474 of 86545.2%★★☆☆☆
201838.3567 of 85133.4%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202538.2950 of 143733.9%★★☆☆☆
202446.5792 of 145045.4%★★☆☆☆
202349.0737 of 143748.7%★★☆☆☆
202245.5740 of 136645.8%★★☆☆☆
202144.6700 of 132947.3%★★☆☆☆
201920.31201 of 136111.8%★☆☆☆☆
201831.41001 of 133224.8%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202531.81042 of 145028.1%★☆☆☆☆
202434.31001 of 146431.6%★★☆☆☆
202333.61023 of 146130.0%★★☆☆☆
202230.71051 of 146428.2%★☆☆☆☆
202136.0903 of 144437.5%★★☆☆☆
201919.21242 of 143013.1%★☆☆☆☆
201823.91160 of 141317.9%★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202548.246 of 7236.1%★★☆☆☆
202484.65 of 7593.3%★★★★★
202220.875 of 8511.8%★☆☆☆☆
202121.765 of 7614.5%★☆☆☆☆
201931.056 of 7222.2%★☆☆☆☆
201812.874 of 762.6%☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202523.4144 of 17517.7%★☆☆☆☆
202429.2124 of 15922.0%★☆☆☆☆
202349.076 of 15450.6%★★★☆☆
202235.291 of 13331.6%★★☆☆☆
202146.746 of 9752.6%★★★☆☆
201920.392 of 10310.7%★☆☆☆☆
201835.567 of 8622.1%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202524.7705 of 82114.1%★☆☆☆☆
202438.5472 of 80141.1%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202521.51012 of 117213.7%★☆☆☆☆
202426.8944 of 116619.0%★☆☆☆☆
202324.4993 of 118316.1%★☆☆☆☆
202219.31053 of 119411.8%★☆☆☆☆
202124.9948 of 117219.1%★☆☆☆☆
201912.31120 of 11835.3%☆☆☆☆☆
201813.51121 of 11784.8%☆☆☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202531.0537 of 77330.5%★★☆☆☆
202434.3538 of 79332.2%★★☆☆☆
202343.0428 of 78445.4%★★☆☆☆
202242.6446 of 78643.3%★★☆☆☆
202155.9297 of 74159.9%★★★☆☆
201943.3441 of 73740.2%★★☆☆☆
201842.4425 of 69138.5%★★☆☆☆
201729.8504 of 69427.4%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202542.9295 of 54646.0%★★☆☆☆
202443.7298 of 56046.8%★★☆☆☆
202347.0260 of 55953.5%★★★☆☆
202244.8269 of 55051.1%★★★☆☆
202165.8102 of 53380.9%★★★★☆
201951.2221 of 51957.4%★★★☆☆
201853.4196 of 49460.3%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202249.3161 of 44964.1%★★★☆☆
202156.8123 of 47874.3%★★★★☆
201954.9166 of 50467.1%★★★☆☆
201870.561 of 47587.2%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202531.2523 of 73328.6%★☆☆☆☆
202433.0509 of 73831.0%★★☆☆☆
202346.5387 of 73147.1%★★☆☆☆
202244.5399 of 73345.6%★★☆☆☆
202157.3273 of 70661.3%★★★☆☆
201942.3422 of 68438.3%★★☆☆☆
201840.1437 of 65633.4%★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
201934.6361 of 41613.2%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202540.9345 of 56238.6%★★☆☆☆
202446.5296 of 56447.5%★★☆☆☆
202359.8173 of 55368.7%★★★☆☆
202272.297 of 54182.1%★★★★☆
202178.661 of 52288.3%★★★★☆
201954.8181 of 49363.3%★★★☆☆
201851.5215 of 47254.4%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202537.8460 of 72936.9%★★☆☆☆
202441.2431 of 74342.0%★★☆☆☆
202348.7350 of 73552.4%★★★☆☆
202251.3298 of 68956.7%★★★☆☆
202159.9190 of 63370.0%★★★★☆
201947.4344 of 63946.2%★★☆☆☆
201851.3283 of 60453.1%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202528.9530 of 73327.7%★☆☆☆☆
202433.3522 of 75130.5%★★☆☆☆
202338.1467 of 74737.5%★★☆☆☆
202239.0462 of 74838.2%★★☆☆☆
202153.0308 of 71156.7%★★★☆☆
201939.8447 of 69735.9%★★☆☆☆
201842.1414 of 66537.7%★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
20248.258 of 580.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20236.254 of 540.0%☆☆☆☆☆
202257.926 of 5855.2%★★★☆☆
202163.219 of 5766.7%★★★☆☆
201928.240 of 4816.7%★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202517.4302 of 3287.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202431.2228 of 30625.5%★☆☆☆☆
202343.6179 of 30240.7%★★☆☆☆
202238.1180 of 28336.4%★★☆☆☆
202151.6101 of 24859.3%★★★☆☆
201947.4116 of 23751.1%★★★☆☆
201845.2121 of 22145.2%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202522.8439 of 4788.2%☆☆☆☆☆
202444.1218 of 47353.9%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202519.6560 of 64913.7%★☆☆☆☆
202419.5556 of 65214.7%★☆☆☆☆
202328.9500 of 65623.8%★☆☆☆☆
202231.6474 of 65828.0%★☆☆☆☆
202139.6382 of 63239.6%★★☆☆☆
201924.3526 of 62415.7%★☆☆☆☆
201824.5502 of 59615.8%★☆☆☆☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202535.3410 of 64136.0%★★☆☆☆
202434.6407 of 64036.4%★★☆☆☆
202340.0354 of 62643.5%★★☆☆☆
202243.7328 of 62147.2%★★☆☆☆
202143.6316 of 59446.8%★★☆☆☆
201933.1324 of 51437.0%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202540.5239 of 44045.7%★★☆☆☆
202449.0166 of 43762.0%★★★☆☆
202356.2139 of 43468.0%★★★☆☆
202255.1142 of 43067.0%★★★☆☆
202161.768 of 36481.3%★★★★☆
201941.1165 of 36955.3%★★★☆☆
201845.6155 of 35956.8%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202265.260 of 33081.8%★★★★☆
202178.435 of 33489.5%★★★★☆
201967.360 of 36483.5%★★★★☆
201872.055 of 34984.2%★★★★☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202525.0236 of 27313.6%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202535.9397 of 61034.9%★★☆☆☆
202430.3433 of 60228.1%★☆☆☆☆
202335.8377 of 58835.9%★★☆☆☆
202235.3382 of 59435.7%★★☆☆☆
202142.5235 of 47550.5%★★★☆☆
201927.4349 of 47526.5%★☆☆☆☆
201840.1272 of 44939.4%★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
201934.9255 of 32521.5%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202544.4226 of 46251.1%★★★☆☆
202446.4205 of 45454.8%★★★☆☆
202357.4145 of 44967.7%★★★☆☆
202252.5161 of 43663.1%★★★☆☆
202157.773 of 37080.3%★★★★☆
201944.7146 of 35458.8%★★★☆☆
201847.8145 of 34057.4%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202535.6376 of 60638.0%★★☆☆☆
202436.1372 of 61339.3%★★☆☆☆
202343.4287 of 59751.9%★★★☆☆
202250.9222 of 54459.2%★★★☆☆
202149.1124 of 43271.3%★★★★☆
201939.2222 of 44650.2%★★★☆☆
201833.7261 of 42438.4%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202532.8401 of 60133.3%★★☆☆☆
202437.4375 of 60738.2%★★☆☆☆
202342.6320 of 60246.8%★★☆☆☆
202251.5256 of 58556.2%★★★☆☆
202142.5218 of 48154.7%★★★☆☆
201939.0271 of 48844.5%★★☆☆☆
201839.2282 of 46339.1%★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202539.034 of 5335.8%★★☆☆☆
202221.145 of 474.3%☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202547.3141 of 25344.3%★★☆☆☆
202437.4173 of 26133.7%★★☆☆☆
202360.483 of 24966.7%★★★☆☆
202256.876 of 22666.4%★★★☆☆
202142.5116 of 19941.7%★★☆☆☆
201928.1154 of 19521.0%★☆☆☆☆
201825.3146 of 18521.1%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202554.9100 of 35271.6%★★★★☆
202438.9188 of 34946.1%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202526.8425 of 54221.6%★☆☆☆☆
202423.6450 of 55318.6%★☆☆☆☆
202323.7434 of 53719.2%★☆☆☆☆
202233.2369 of 53430.9%★★☆☆☆
202131.5278 of 43936.7%★★☆☆☆
201926.2342 of 44423.0%★☆☆☆☆
201829.3324 of 42724.1%★☆☆☆☆
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
English Language Learner (2025)53rd percentile+22 vs school
Hispanic (2025)53rd percentile+22 vs school
African American (2025)46th percentile+15 vs school
Disabled (2022)38th percentile+4 vs school
Military Connected (2025)36th percentile+5 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)34th percentile+3 vs school
Female (2025)32nd percentile~ school
Male (2025)28th percentile-3 vs school
Multi-racial (2025)18th percentile-14 vs school
Special Education (2025)14th percentile-17 vs school
White (2025)14th percentile-18 vs school
Middle school
Disabled (2022)64th percentile+21 vs school
African American (2025)46th percentile+15 vs school
Hispanic (2025)39th percentile+8 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)37th percentile+6 vs school
Female (2025)29th percentile~ school
Male (2025)28th percentile-3 vs school
White (2025)14th percentile-17 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2019)13th percentile-27 vs school
Special Education (2025)8th percentile-22 vs school
Multi-racial (2025)8th percentile-23 vs school
Military Connected (2024)<1st percentile-32 vs school
High school
Disabled (2022)82nd percentile+35 vs school
Special Education (2025)72nd percentile+36 vs school
Hispanic (2025)51st percentile+15 vs school
African American (2025)46th percentile+10 vs school
Multi-racial (2025)44th percentile+8 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)38th percentile~ school
Military Connected (2025)36th percentile~ school
Female (2025)35th percentile~ school
Male (2025)33rd percentile-3 vs school
White (2025)22nd percentile-14 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2019)22nd percentile-15 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)14th percentile-22 vs school
By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?
English II56%-3 vs state
Science53%-8 vs state
Math III51%-16 vs state
Reading50%-3 vs state
Biology44%-4 vs state
Mathematics37%-20 vs state
Math I29%-6 vs state

4.7
3 ratings · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Open Quote Very good option for motivated kids. Very flexible. Nice teachers.
Just required to be organised! Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about NC Virtual Academy

In the 2024-25 school year, 3,482 students attended NC Virtual Academy.

NC Virtual Academy ranks 1024th of 1490 North Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at NC Virtual Academy are 43% White, 29% African American, 14% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% American Indian.


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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.





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