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Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy

Q: Is Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy a good school?

Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy ranks 792 nd of 1492 North Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12

792^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Alternative Schools

Better than 47% of North Carolina alternative schools

Summary

Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy is a K–12 charter school in Huntersville, North Carolina, serving 1,269 students from a middle-income area of the Charlotte metro region. The school operates as its own district—the Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy district—with 41.6% of students receiving free/reduced lunch, a higher rate than most neighboring charters. Its 16.4:1 student-teacher ratio is similar to surrounding schools.

Academically, the school shows a clear pattern: strong early elementary results that fade by middle and high school. Third-grade reading and math exceed state averages, and fourth grade holds near state norms. But by eighth grade, math proficiency falls well below the state, and science proficiency trails by roughly 20 points in grades 5 and 8. High school STEM results are the clearest weakness: Biology proficiency is just 38.8% versus the state's 58.5%, and Math I proficiency sits at only 26.4% compared with 42.1% statewide. Better-performing schools in the area, including Lake Norman Charter, Community School of Davidson, and Corvian Community School, show that strong STEM outcomes are achievable within the same region.

The school's most pressing concern is attendance. Chronic absenteeism reached 35.9%, compared with the state rate of 24.2%, while nearby Community School of Davidson (6.5%), Corvian Community School (7.2%), and Bradford Preparatory School (9.7%) remain far lower. On a positive note, BCLA's graduation rate improved dramatically from 68.2% to 87.2% in a single year. However, test scores have swung considerably from year to year across subjects and grade levels, so families should treat any single year's data with caution. In short, BCLA provides a solid elementary foundation, but parents weighing it for middle or high school should look closely at STEM achievement, attendance, and year-over-year consistency.

1,269

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

41.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

16115 Poplar Tent Road
Huntersville, NC 28078

(704) 755-6800

District: Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

37.9%

White:

24.1%

Hispanic:

15.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2025 → 27th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (52% vs 59% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (36% vs 24% North Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 40 percentile points since 2025

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

North Carolina avg59%

Elementary school

792^nd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▼ down 20 pts since 2025

From top 33% (2025) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

491^st of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 37%▲ up 3 pts since 2025

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

486^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 27%

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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.7	792 of 1492	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.4	492 of 1490	67.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.1	603 of 903	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	71.0	186 of 918	79.7%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.7	109 of 134	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	61.5	61 of 131	53.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.4	823 of 1447	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	60.4	540 of 1451	62.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.6	499 of 981	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.2	380 of 961	60.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.4	962 of 1434	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	59.8	488 of 1437	66.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.2	752 of 1451	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	65.4	452 of 1450	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	38.4	119 of 175	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.5	527 of 821	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.1	593 of 1146	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.3	581 of 1172	50.4%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.7	491 of 778	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.9	510 of 773	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.8	213 of 553	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.7	259 of 546	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.2	446 of 731	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.4	470 of 733	35.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.7	316 of 566	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.0	334 of 562	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.0	394 of 725	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.5	390 of 729	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.8	482 of 736	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.9	525 of 733	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.3	211 of 333	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.4	178 of 328	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.0	497 of 500	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	31.3	349 of 478	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.6	365 of 644	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.3	471 of 649	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Hispanic (2026)49th percentile~ school

White (2026)48th percentile~ school

Male (2026)48th percentile~ school

Female (2026)43rd percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)36th percentile-31 vs school

African American (2026)33rd percentile-14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile-14 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)32nd percentile-35 vs school

Asian (2026)19th percentile-28 vs school

Middle school

African American (2026)61st percentile+25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)46th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)44th percentile+7 vs school

White (2026)43rd percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)39th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)37th percentile~ school

Male (2026)35th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)1st percentile-36 vs school

High school

White (2026)46th percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2026)41st percentile+14 vs school

African American (2026)28th percentile~ school

Male (2026)27th percentile~ school

Female (2026)22nd percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)21st percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2026)16th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English II65%~ state avg

Reading55%~ state avg

Math III53%-16 vs state

Mathematics53%-7 vs state

Science52%-17 vs state

Biology39%-20 vs state

Math I26%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bonnie Cone Leadership 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 ()				Ranking ()				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	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	Total
Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	16115 Poplar Tent Road	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(704) 755-6800	1,269	77	16.4	41.6%	306 (24.1%)	481 (37.9%)	200 (15.8%)	158 (12.5%)	18 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	105 (8.3%)								(n/a)	38.8	65.2	26.4	53.4	70.5	61.2	57.6	53.8	45.2	43.8	59.5	58.8	52.4	48.8	54.1	55.1	45.9	54.8
Carolina International School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	9545 Poplar Tent Road	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	Carolina International School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 455-3847	744	47	15.6	—	166 (22.3%)	323 (43.4%)	170 (22.8%)	28 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (7.7%)								(n/a)	47.4	66.7	20.0	57.7	43.9	34.5	27.5	53.8	52.9	43.4	43.9	43.6	42.5	64.6	62.9	47.6	45.0	69.0
Corvian Community School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	4041 Johnston Oehler Road	Charlotte	28269	Mecklenburg County	Corvian Community School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 717-7550	1,376	73	18.8	—	549 (39.9%)	456 (33.1%)	176 (12.8%)	101 (7.3%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	88 (6.4%)								(n/a)	80.4	94.5	83.0	80.5	69.5	65.7	58.7	75.2	79.8	76.7	69.5	68.6	61.5	70.6	74.0	78.6	63.3	87.4
Lake Norman Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	12435 Old Statesville Road	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Lake Norman Charter	Yes	No	No	No	(704) 948-8600	2,222	125	17.7	—	1,218 (54.8%)	244 (11.0%)	144 (6.5%)	449 (20.2%)	5 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	162 (7.3%)								(n/a)	88.4	92.4	76.8	84.4	83.9	87.2	90.8	93.2	90.0	91.5	77.4	85.6	82.1	76.3	83.6	85.4	90.3	92.4
Bradford Preparatory School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2502 Salome Church Rd	Charlotte	28262	Mecklenburg County	Bradford Preparatory School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 549-0080	1,566	107	14.6	—	666 (42.5%)	542 (34.6%)	163 (10.4%)	74 (4.7%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	118 (7.5%)								(n/a)	75.0	86.2	74.7	79.5	65.5	68.9	71.7	78.9	76.8	57.4	53.4	66.0	63.8	73.4	75.2	82.8	70.9	72.1
Pioneer Springs Community School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	9232 Bob Beatty Rd.	Charlotte	28269	Mecklenburg County	Pioneer Springs Community School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 494-0777	558	47	11.8	—	336 (60.2%)	70 (12.5%)	92 (16.5%)	16 (2.9%)	6 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (6.6%)								(n/a)	51.1	57.5	5.4	57.5	55.8	43.5	56.8	58.7	48.7	41.2	58.1	60.9	47.7	52.2	63.2	58.8	52.3	82.4
Community School of Davidson	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	404 Armour Street	Davidson	28036	Mecklenburg County	Community School of Davidson	Yes	No	No	No	(704) 897-8061	1,631	87	18.7	—	1,263 (77.4%)	63 (3.9%)	151 (9.3%)	56 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	98 (6.0%)								(n/a)	85.4	92.6	45.9	94.1	78.3	67.5	80.8	90.7	72.1	78.0	72.2	75.4	79.2	77.6	71.2	81.3	85.8	89.4
TMSA Charlotte	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	7550 Ruben Linker Rd	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	The Math and Science Academy of Charlott	Yes	No	No	Yes	(980) 321-7744	760	51	14.8	94.1%	30 (3.9%)	471 (62.0%)	83 (10.9%)	118 (15.5%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (6.7%)								(n/a)	49.3	65.9	34.9	54.5	70.6	54.7	51.7	76.9	50.5	34.6	68.3	66.2	56.7	70.0	61.3	64.2	59.2	74.1
Pine Lake Preparatory	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	104 Yellow Wood Circle	Mooresville	28115	Iredell County	Pine Lake Preparatory	Yes	No	No	No	(704) 237-5300	1,888	119	15.8	—	1,525 (80.8%)	29 (1.5%)	128 (6.8%)	114 (6.0%)	5 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	85 (4.5%)								(n/a)	88.5	94.0	86.7	94.8	94.1	92.1	94.3	92.7	86.3	82.7	92.4	87.3	86.9	89.0	88.1	86.3	93.4	91.9
Langtree Charter Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	154 Foundation Ct	Mooresville	28117	Iredell County	Langtree Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 235-0865	1,376	44	31.4	30.8%	854 (62.1%)	191 (13.9%)	192 (14.0%)	36 (2.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	102 (7.4%)								(n/a)	65.0	80.0	37.5	68.0	69.3	45.0	75.0	71.0	59.2	52.6	61.4	51.3	58.3	72.0	76.3	62.3	71.9	83.3

Frequently Asked Questions about Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy

Is Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy a good school?

Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy ranks 792^nd of 1492 North Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy?

Students at Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy are 38% African American, 24% White, 16% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 8% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,269 students attended Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy.

What district is Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy in?

Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 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.