Cardinal Charter Academy, 1020 St. Charles Place: grades K-10, 565 students in 2024-25, a B (72) state grade.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, its about, school and office hours, enrollment process, high school and staff pages and its 2026-27 school calendar (PDF); the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2024-25 report card data and 2025-26 school assessment workbook; and the federal NCES school directory.
Cardinal Charter Academy is a tuition-free public charter school in Cary. It is a member of the Charter Schools USA family and is governed by the Triangle Charter Education Association of North Carolina, according to its about page, which says it has its own calendar, superintendent and board of directors. It is not part of the Wake County Public School System: it has no attendance zone, and students are admitted by application and, when a grade has more applicants than seats, a lottery. The school added ninth and 10th grade for 2026-27 through a program it calls C-Flex, with career and technical courses through a partnership with Wake Technical Community College, according to its high school page.
Who to call
- Main office: 919-653-5000, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Applications and enrollment help: alysha.smith@cardinalcharter.org
- School website: cardinalcharter.org
| Address | 1020 St. Charles Place, Cary, NC 27513 |
| Phone | 919-653-5000 |
| Grades | Kindergarten to 10 |
| Operator | Public charter school (not WCPSS) |
| State school code | 92W000 |
Principal
The school’s staff directory lists John Wall Jr. as principal and Andrew Livengood as assistant principal.
Enrollment and teachers
- State count: an average daily membership of 565 students in the 2024-25 school year, down from 701 in 2023-24, according to the state’s report card data.
- Federal count: 720 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 26 students per teacher.
- The state and federal counts are for kindergarten to eighth grade, before the school added ninth and 10th grade.
State report card
North Carolina grades every public school A to F. The grade is based 80% on student achievement and 20% on academic growth, according to the state’s 2025-26 annual testing report. For this school, achievement is measured mainly by the state’s end-of-grade reading, math and science tests.
| School year | Grade and score | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | B (72) | Exceeded |
| 2023-24 | C (67) | Met |
The 2024-25 grade is the latest in the state’s downloadable report card data. From the state’s 2025-26 school assessment workbook:
- At grade level or above, all state tests: 63.7% (statewide, all tests: 59.2%)
- College and career ready (Level 4 and above): 36.4%
- Growth: did not meet expected growth
- Reading, grades 3 to 8: 61.1% at grade level or above; math: 64.2%
The full report card, with class sizes, teacher data and school safety figures, is on the state’s NC School Report Cards site.
Admission
Applications are taken online through SchoolMint, and the school says it is still accepting applications for the current 2026-27 school year, according to its enrollment process page. Open enrollment for 2027-28 runs Nov. 3 to Dec. 4, 2026. If applications for a grade exceed the seats available, a random lottery is held Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2026, at 4 p.m., and families are notified by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9. Families offered a seat have seven business days to accept it. The page lists a school capacity of 1,145 students.
District attendance zones do not apply. To find the WCPSS school an address is zoned for instead, use the district’s base school lookup.
Calendar and bell times
Kindergarten through eighth grade runs 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with morning drop-off from 7:30 a.m., according to the school’s school and office hours page. Cardinal Charter sets its own calendar. Coming dates on its 2026-27 school calendar (PDF):
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: teacher workday
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
- Friday, Nov. 20: half session day
- Nov. 23-27: fall break
- Friday, Dec. 18: half session day
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break
More
- The school’s own website
- Every public school in Cary, with zones and report cards
- Our Cary schools guide for district calendars, enrollment dates and the school board
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Cardinal Charter Academy serve?
Kindergarten through 10th grade in 2026-27, after the school added ninth and 10th grade. It is a tuition-free public charter school, not part of WCPSS.
What is Cardinal Charter Academy’s school grade?
Cardinal Charter Academy earned a B, with a score of 72, in North Carolina’s 2024-25 School Performance Grades. In 2025-26, 63.7% of its state tests were at grade level or above and it did not meet its growth target.
How do I apply to Cardinal Charter Academy?
Apply online through SchoolMint. Open enrollment for 2027-28 runs Nov. 3 to Dec. 4, 2026, with a lottery Dec. 8 if a grade has more applicants than seats. The school also takes applications for the current year.
What time does Cardinal Charter Academy start?
Kindergarten through eighth grade runs 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with drop-off from 7:30 a.m., according to the school’s website.
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