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Mountain Island Lake Academy

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-8
863rd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools
Better than 42% of North Carolina elementary schools
Summary

Mountain Island Lake Academy is a PK–8 school in Charlotte's northwest area, part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, serving 766 students, with 99.6% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. In the 2025-2026 ranking year, Mountain Island Lake Academy earned 2 stars, placing it at the 42nd percentile statewide—a striking turnaround from a year earlier when it sat at the 18th percentile. The gains are real but uneven. Grade 5 is a clear bright spot, with math proficiency at 77.2% vs. the district's 66.8% and reading at 59.5% vs. 57.9% districtwide. Subgroup progress is also encouraging: African American students improved from the 27th to the 78th percentile over two years, and low-income students rose from the 6th to the 47th percentile. However, chronic absenteeism remains a serious drag, with a third of students chronically absent—about 9 points above the state average.

Academic performance is far from uniform across grades. Third-grade math fell sharply to 40.3% proficiency (vs. 70.7% district), and 8th-grade math lags at 28% vs. 54.2% district. Compared to nearby schools, Mountain Island is in the middle of the pack. It significantly outperforms Thomasboro Academy, the closest K-8 comparison, posting stronger 8th-grade reading (56.6% vs. 31.3%) and lower absenteeism. Yet just 1.5 miles away, Paw Creek Elementary serves a nearly identical population (99.6% free-lunch eligible) but ranks at the 86th percentile, with half the chronic absenteeism and far higher proficiency in 3rd- and 4th-grade math. This shows high achievement is possible in the same neighborhood context.

Mountain Island's momentum appears broader than a one-year blip—it now sits well ahead of struggling peers like Hornets Nest Elementary and Whitewater Academy. But the school remains below state averages in most grades and subjects. The clearest lever for continued growth is attendance: reducing the elevated chronic absenteeism rate could push the school from the middle of its local cluster toward the top. With Paw Creek as a model of what’s achievable, Mountain Island is at a positive inflection point. The foundation for a strong school exists—the challenge now is making these gains stick across all grades.

766
Students ?
18.6
Student/teacher ratio ?
99.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 7905 Pleasant Grove Rd
       Charlotte, NC  28216-6108

(980) 343-6948

District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:
64.1%
Hispanic:
22.7%
White:
5.4%
more
 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Mountain Island Lake Academy to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 38th percentile in 2016 → 42nd in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the North Carolina average (51% vs 59% meeting standards)
!High chronic absenteeism (33% vs 24% North Carolina)
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school51%
District avg61%
North Carolina avg59%
Elementary school
863rd of 1,492
North Carolina public elementary schools ?
Bottom 42%▲ up 4 pts since 2016
From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 42% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
558th of 778
North Carolina public middle schools ?
Bottom 28%▼ down 14 pts since 2016
From bottom 43% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
105th of 246Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools among North Carolina districts
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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202642.7863 of 149242.2%★★☆☆☆
202523.31215 of 149018.5%★☆☆☆☆
202416.81327 of 150511.8%★☆☆☆☆
202321.61237 of 150217.6%★☆☆☆☆
202230.81072 of 151429.2%★☆☆☆☆
202128.11054 of 148929.2%★☆☆☆☆
201947.1812 of 147344.9%★★☆☆☆
201842.0889 of 143438.0%★★☆☆☆
201737.3961 of 142932.8%★★☆☆☆
201642.6881 of 142538.2%★★☆☆☆
201557.2623 of 144056.7%★★★☆☆
201471.5368 of 139073.5%★★★★☆
201338.3879 of 140337.3%★★☆☆☆
201256.1672 of 138851.6%★★★☆☆
201158.3643 of 138153.4%★★★☆☆
201072.6340 of 136375.1%★★★★☆
200966.5472 of 135465.1%★★★☆☆
200861.5523 of 132460.5%★★★☆☆
200771.4316 of 129375.6%★★★★☆
200675.8237 of 127681.4%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202669.3200 of 90377.9%★★★★☆
202547.3466 of 91849.2%★★☆☆☆
202432.9676 of 92426.8%★☆☆☆☆
202340.3562 of 93339.8%★★☆☆☆
202253.4359 of 92761.3%★★★☆☆
202151.4335 of 89662.6%★★★☆☆
201966.6238 of 94974.9%★★★★☆
201862.3282 of 92769.6%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202222.8553 of 63412.8%★☆☆☆☆
201938.9547 of 87837.7%★★☆☆☆
201822.6787 of 89712.3%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202646.4252 of 51951.4%★★★☆☆
202531.7408 of 56327.5%★☆☆☆☆
202431.8393 of 53326.3%★☆☆☆☆
202257.9129 of 48573.4%★★★★☆
202154.9113 of 38570.6%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202652.4678 of 144753.1%★★★☆☆
202529.71088 of 145125.0%★☆☆☆☆
202425.91147 of 145521.2%★☆☆☆☆
202321.41230 of 145915.7%★☆☆☆☆
202233.51002 of 145831.3%★★☆☆☆
202137.4867 of 144039.8%★★☆☆☆
201943.3853 of 142440.1%★★☆☆☆
201839.1941 of 140533.0%★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
201965.3118 of 61280.7%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202639.7631 of 98135.7%★★☆☆☆
202532.2703 of 96126.8%★☆☆☆☆
202432.4697 of 95126.7%★☆☆☆☆
202340.2564 of 91538.4%★★☆☆☆
202241.4528 of 89340.9%★★☆☆☆
202140.9473 of 84343.9%★★☆☆☆
201969.2205 of 86576.3%★★★★☆
201857.1314 of 85163.1%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202646.0758 of 143447.1%★★☆☆☆
202534.21038 of 143727.8%★☆☆☆☆
202415.01363 of 14506.0%☆☆☆☆☆
202328.01126 of 143721.6%★☆☆☆☆
202245.4742 of 136645.7%★★☆☆☆
202154.9496 of 132962.7%★★★☆☆
201949.3691 of 136149.2%★★☆☆☆
201851.2649 of 133251.3%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202634.6991 of 145131.7%★★☆☆☆
202519.91257 of 145013.3%★☆☆☆☆
202411.71375 of 14646.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202323.21176 of 146119.5%★☆☆☆☆
202228.51090 of 146425.5%★☆☆☆☆
202121.21160 of 144419.7%★☆☆☆☆
201950.2737 of 143048.5%★★☆☆☆
201845.0844 of 141340.3%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202535.1535 of 82134.8%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202234.1850 of 119428.8%★☆☆☆☆
202135.2796 of 117232.1%★★☆☆☆
201950.1607 of 118348.7%★★☆☆☆
201857.9512 of 117856.5%★★★☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202630.1558 of 77828.3%★☆☆☆☆
202525.6585 of 77324.3%★☆☆☆☆
202417.8678 of 79314.5%★☆☆☆☆
202320.5649 of 78417.2%★☆☆☆☆
202227.9580 of 78626.2%★☆☆☆☆
202121.3599 of 74119.2%★☆☆☆☆
201934.4520 of 73729.4%★☆☆☆☆
201832.0488 of 69129.4%★☆☆☆☆
201721.6554 of 69420.2%★☆☆☆☆
201644.4396 of 69242.8%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202653.5219 of 55360.4%★★★☆☆
202547.8248 of 54654.6%★★★☆☆
202429.8417 of 56025.5%★☆☆☆☆
202331.4407 of 55927.2%★☆☆☆☆
202240.3303 of 55044.9%★★☆☆☆
202137.4321 of 53339.8%★★☆☆☆
201958.7158 of 51969.6%★★★☆☆
201853.8192 of 49461.1%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202137.8301 of 47837.0%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202659.488 of 36375.8%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202633.3502 of 73131.3%★★☆☆☆
202526.9558 of 73323.9%★☆☆☆☆
202419.6624 of 73815.4%★☆☆☆☆
202329.1541 of 73126.0%★☆☆☆☆
202236.2470 of 73335.9%★★☆☆☆
202127.2529 of 70625.1%★☆☆☆☆
201935.5484 of 68429.2%★☆☆☆☆
201836.7454 of 65630.8%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202634.7382 of 56632.5%★★☆☆☆
202526.3446 of 56220.6%★☆☆☆☆
202427.4446 of 56420.9%★☆☆☆☆
202342.3322 of 55341.8%★★☆☆☆
202255.6206 of 54161.9%★★★☆☆
202158.8162 of 52269.0%★★★☆☆
201943.1290 of 49341.2%★★☆☆☆
201845.5261 of 47244.7%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202639.5440 of 72539.3%★★☆☆☆
202543.7399 of 72945.3%★★☆☆☆
202418.1666 of 74310.4%★☆☆☆☆
202330.5542 of 73526.3%★☆☆☆☆
202239.0425 of 68938.3%★★☆☆☆
202138.5382 of 63339.7%★★☆☆☆
201929.6488 of 63923.6%★☆☆☆☆
201848.9309 of 60448.8%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202625.7572 of 73622.3%★☆☆☆☆
202524.4564 of 73323.1%★☆☆☆☆
202416.1662 of 75111.9%★☆☆☆☆
202314.0671 of 74710.2%★☆☆☆☆
202220.9621 of 74817.0%★☆☆☆☆
202118.0609 of 71114.3%★☆☆☆☆
201932.1500 of 69728.3%★☆☆☆☆
201824.3525 of 66521.1%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202522.7441 of 4787.7%☆☆☆☆☆
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
Gifted and Talented (2019)81st percentile+36 vs school
African American (2026)78th percentile+36 vs school
Female (2026)53rd percentile+11 vs school
English Language Learner (2026)51st percentile+9 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)47th percentile+5 vs school
Hispanic (2026)36th percentile-6 vs school
Special Education (2025)35th percentile+16 vs school
Male (2026)32nd percentile-10 vs school
White (2022)29th percentile~ school
Disabled (2022)13th percentile-16 vs school
Middle school
English Language Learner (2026)76th percentile+47 vs school
African American (2026)60th percentile+32 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)39th percentile+11 vs school
Disabled (2021)37th percentile+18 vs school
Hispanic (2026)33rd percentile+4 vs school
Female (2026)31st percentile+3 vs school
Male (2026)22nd percentile-6 vs school
Special Education (2025)8th percentile-17 vs school
By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?
Science66%~ state avg
Reading50%-6 vs state
Mathematics47%-13 vs state

3.0
2 ratings · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Open Quote Very dedicated staff and principle. I love having my child here and love helping out when I can. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Mountain Island Lake Academy

Students at Mountain Island Lake Academy are 64% African American, 23% Hispanic, 5% White, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

In the 2024-25 school year, 766 students attended Mountain Island Lake Academy.

Mountain Island Lake Academy ranks 863rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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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.

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