Union Prep Academy at Indian Trail

Union Prep Academy at Indian Trail is a K-12 charter/standalone school in Indian Trail, NC, serving 1,268 students in a charter-rich Union County corridor; the “alternative” label in the data is a quirk applied to independent schools, not a traditional alternative program. It is part of the Union Preparatory Academy at Indian Trai district. In grades 3-8, every math, reading, and science EOG test beats the North Carolina state average, with math roughly 15 points higher (74.7% vs. 59.9%) and reading roughly 13 points higher (68.7% vs. 56.0%). The standout is 8th-grade math at 85.5% proficiency versus 53.0% statewide, above Union Academy and Queen's Grant Community School and far above Charlotte Lab School.

Attendance is a clear strength: chronic absenteeism has stayed around 10-13% for five straight years (11.0% most recently), while the statewide rate remains above 24%. The graduation rate is 93.2%, topping the state’s 88.8% and far exceeding TMSA Charlotte’s 75.0%. High school English II (76.4% vs. 64.6%), Math III (78.0% vs. 68.9%), and Math I (57.1% vs. 42.1%) all beat state averages. Biology is the one concern at 57.1% vs. 58.5% statewide, and it has lagged in previous years too. The gap between excellent 8th-grade math and more modest Math I scores is also worth asking the school about.

Union Prep is moderately economically diverse: 43.7% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch — a far smaller share than Sugar Creek Charter’s 96.6%, but larger than Telra Institute’s 10.3%. One red flag is the reported 2024-2025 student-teacher ratio of 46.9, so out of line with Union Prep’s own recent ratios (15.7 and 19.7) and with every neighboring school that it is likely a data error worth confirming. Overall, Union Prep combines steady attendance, state-beating test scores, and a solid graduation rate, making it a reliable choice in a competitive Indian Trail charter landscape.