Pine Springs Preparatory Remote Academy

Pine Springs Preparatory Remote Academy is a K–12 remote/alternative school in the Raleigh-area town of Holly Springs, NC, serving roughly 2,552 students as part of the Pine Springs Preparatory Academy district, which currently holds a 2-star rating. This is far from a small niche program: among online schools in the region, only NC Virtual Academy (about 3,480 students) enrolls more.

For families weighing options, the most striking concern is graduation. Pine Springs graduates only about 47% of its students, compared with the North Carolina state average of 88.8% — by far the lowest among mainstream virtual schools nearby. NC Virtual Academy graduates 79.2% of students, and North Carolina Cyber Academy graduates 78.1%. Test scores echo that pattern, especially in math: just 7.7% of students met the state standard on the high school Math I exam, and only 10.7% were proficient in 8th-grade math, versus roughly 53% statewide. Reading is stronger — about 42% of students scored proficient on the English II exam, and 8th-grade reading reached 43.9% — but it still trails state averages in every grade.

Perhaps the most puzzling finding is attendance: only 8.2% of Pine Springs students are chronically absent (meaning they miss a significant number of school days), compared with 24.2% statewide and better than every nearby school with reported data. In plain terms, students appear to be logging in regularly, yet achievement stays low, which suggests the challenges go beyond simply showing up. The remote format itself does not explain the weak results, since other large virtual academies perform much better. For context, Triangle Math and Science Academy, a high-performing charter only about four miles away, posts a 94.8% graduation rate and 73.9% Math I proficiency. There are some encouraging signs — fifth-grade math and science scores improved recently — but overall, Pine Springs has significant work ahead, especially in math and in helping students reach graduation.