NC Approves 5 New Virtual Charter Schools

0:00In Durham, it's March 10th, and here's what is going on. The North Carolina Charter Schools Review Board approved plans from four charter schools on March 9th, 2026, to launch remote academies. This brings the statewide total to 21 virtual programs, adding thousands of new seats for students this fall. Many of these schools already have long waiting lists for in-person spots, so virtual options let them serve more kids, and bring in extra per pupil. Funding. Earlier pilots like North Carolina Virtual Academy and North Carolina Cyber Academy started back in 2015, and despite past struggles, they got renewed this year. Board members pushed back hard against claims. This is just the money grab. Chair Bruce Friend, from Pine Springs Preparatory Academy, defended the move for schools like their new dogwood virtual school. He stressed they should judge each program on its merits, not lump them together. Right now, over 10,000 students are in these remote academies, and numbers will climb with

1:02fresh approvals like North Carolina Connections. Academy, which already has 1046 kids, signed up way ahead of projections. Others Greenlit include Central Wake High, Triangle Math and Science, Jackson Day, and Phoenix Academy. Moving ahead, board folks like Vice Chair John Eldridge call virtual learning the future driven by parent demand. Still, members want clearer ways to measure success, especially as more than 200 brick and mortar charters, eye similar expansions. This Dean in story is thanks to our sponsor details in the description. When you want calm, do not reach for your phone. Lay back and listen, S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com.