Faith Academy Charter School

Faith Academy Charter School serves 938 students in grades K-11 in the small town of Faith, NC, functioning as its own single-school district within the Faith Academy district. Though the state designates it as an "Alternative" school, it is really a comprehensive brick-and-mortar charter academy, dramatically larger than the nearby alternative programs it is grouped with: South Lexington Developmental Center enrolls just 26 students, while Summit Virtual Academy serves 241 students in Rowan-Salisbury Schools.

The school's most encouraging data point is attendance. Faith Academy's chronic absenteeism rate was just 15.4% in 2024-25, nearly 9 points better than the North Carolina average of 24.2% and far below South Lexington Developmental Center's 65.3% and Summit Virtual Academy's 46.0% rates. Attendance has improved steadily since a post-pandemic high of 28.9% in 2021-22. Academically, Faith Academy substantially outperforms Summit Virtual Academy, the only nearby alternative school with comparable test data, in nearly every subject and grade. Its fifth graders posted standout results, with 82.4% proficient in math versus 62.9% statewide, along with strong reading and science scores.

The clear challenges are concentrated in middle school. Math proficiency falls sharply from 82.4% in fifth grade to 49.4% in sixth grade, and eighth-grade reading trails the state by roughly 13 points. High school end-of-course results are uneven: Math I was exceptional at 66.7% proficient versus 42.1% statewide, but Math III and Biology dipped below state averages, likely reflecting small cohorts. Overall, Faith Academy is a well-attended school that far outperforms its alternative-school peers, with its elementary grades, particularly fifth grade, and its consistent student-teacher ratio of about 14.4 representing the strongest signals in the data.