Charlotte-Mecklenburg Virtual School

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Virtual School is an online choice program in Charlotte, NC, serving about 619 students in grades 5–12 through Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, with roughly half of its students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Although it is counted as a high school in state rankings, it also serves middle-school grades, and its current statewide standing is solidly mid-pack: 307th of 662 high schools, the 54th percentile, with a 3-star rating.

What makes this school stand out is its combination of strong completion and attendance outcomes. Its 2025–2026 graduation rate of 94.5% tops the district’s 87.9%, the state’s 88.8%, and nearby schools such as Myers Park High School (89.2%), South Mecklenburg High School (81.7%), and Harding University High School (81.2%). Chronic absenteeism is also strikingly low at 10.7%, compared with 26.8% for the district and 32% or higher at Myers Park, Olympic High School, and Harding. Academically, the school is strongest in literacy-focused subjects: English II proficiency is 76.1% and Biology is 70.6%, both above district and state averages, and middle-school reading proficiency is above district and state in every grade from 6 through 8.

The main concern is mathematics. Math III proficiency sits at 57.1%, well below the district’s 69.4% and trailing schools like Myers Park (79.4%) and Ballantyne Ridge High School (76.6%). Middle-school math proficiency also lags the district by double digits in every tested grade. State subgroup ratings suggest the school is especially effective for African American, Hispanic, special-education, and low-income students, while advanced and gifted learners are comparatively less well served. It also shares an address with Elbert Edwin Waddell High School, which has a 56.4% graduation rate and 43.5% chronic absenteeism — a reminder that the virtual learning model, rather than location, may be behind these results. Mathematics is clearly the biggest opportunity for continued improvement.