Esperanza Global Academy

Esperanza Global Academy is a Pre-K through 5th grade elementary school in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools serving 538 students in a very high-poverty area of Charlotte, where 99.4% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school currently ranks in the 20th percentile statewide (1,193 out of 1,492 elementary schools), earning one star — a meaningful improvement over the previous year, when it sat in the 8th percentile with zero stars.

The school's biggest academic challenge is reading. In 2025-26, reading proficiency ranged from 23% in 3rd grade to 33% in 5th grade, well below the Charlotte-Mecklenburg and North Carolina averages of roughly 55–59 percent. Math and science are much brighter spots — 61–63% of students were proficient in 3rd and 5th grade math, close to state averages, and 5th grade science was not far behind. Esperanza's math and science results demonstrate the school can deliver solid achievement, but reading is clearly the highest-leverage area for improvement. Nearby schools like Piney Grove Elementary, Idlewild Elementary, and Charlotte East Language Academy serve similarly high-poverty populations yet post far higher reading scores and state rankings in the 46th–67th percentile.

Chronic absenteeism stands out as a serious concern. Esperanza's 37% rate of chronically absent students is well above the district (26.8%) and state (24.2%) averages, and it rose from roughly 33% the prior year. No nearby CMS school has a rate this high — Windsor Park Elementary is at 18.5% and Charlotte East Language Academy at just 7.5%. On a more positive note, the school is moving in the right direction: 5th-grade math proficiency nearly doubled from 34% to 63%, 5th-grade science jumped from 37% to 61%, and reading also rose significantly. Esperanza is a school in transition — showing real momentum in math and science while needing urgent attention in reading and attendance.