Choice Plus Academy

Choice Plus Academy is a small, K-12 alternative school in Smithfield, NC, that serves 97 students and belongs to Johnston County Public Schools, a district that carries a 3-star state rating. The school's student body is exceptionally high-need: 96.9% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the 8.6-to-1 student-teacher ratio is the lowest among nearby comparison schools. Yet academic, attendance, and graduation outcomes are far below district and state averages, and also below other non-traditional and charter schools in the area.

The most striking metric is the school's 40.0% graduation rate, compared with 92.6% for Johnston County Public Schools and 88.8% across North Carolina. Nearby schools graduate students at far higher rates as well, including American Leadership Academy – Johnston at 91.1% and Neuse Charter School at 93.0%. Chronic absenteeism is also a serious challenge. In 2024-25, 48.1% of Choice Plus Academy students were chronically absent—roughly double the district rate of 21.8%—though this reflects steady improvement from 90.0% in 2020-21. Academic proficiency in most subjects sits in single digits or the teens, such as 9.1% in 6th grade math, 5.9% in 8th grade reading, and 7.1% in Biology EOC. Even the school's highest subject, Math III at 31.3%, trails the district and state average of 68.9% by a wide margin.

An important context for parents: Choice Plus Academy is an alternative school, so its population includes students referred from conventional settings or facing significant non-academic barriers. The in-district comparison with JCPS Virtual Academy makes this clear—both schools have nearly identical poverty levels, yet JCPS Virtual Academy reports an 80.5% graduation rate and 15.9% chronic absenteeism. Also, with only 97 students, school-wide percentages can move quickly when a small number of students changes schools or takes a particular exam, so year-to-year shifts should be interpreted cautiously. Attendance has been improving steadily, and that progress may be one of the most meaningful levers for helping students at Choice Plus Academy get back on track.