More Triangle charter seats approved. How one school bypassed the usual process
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- State board approved 2,000 new charter seats in Wake and Durham counties
- TMSA used 'sub-campus' method to bypass traditional new charter approval
- Review Board formed a committee to set criteria for future sub-campus requests
State education leaders have approved 2,000 new charter school seats for Wake and Durham counties, including the use of a new method that could circumvent the normal approval process.
The N.C. Charter Schools Review Board unanimously voted Monday to approve a new charter school in Wake County and to allow a charter school that’s been unable to open in Orange County to relocate to Durham. But the board split 6-5 to allow TMSA Public Charter Schools to use a new approach for charter school expansion to open a “sub-campus” in Durham.
The vote means TMSA didn’t have to go through the normal application process to get the new campus approved.
All three charter schools would be able to serve more students beginning in the 2026-27 school year. Wake and Durham counties already have among the highest concentrations of charter schools in North Carolina.
TMSA wants to open campus in Durham
Charter schools are non-traditional public schools that are exempt from some of the rules that school districts must follow. There are more than 200 charter schools in North Carolina.
TMSA serves more than 5,000 students at campuses in Wake, Guilford, Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties. TMSA recently won a $8.3 million federal grant to help with its expansion efforts
Locally, TMSA operates Triangle Math and Science Academy in Cary and The Math and Science Academy of Apex. Both high-achieving schools have a combined waitlist of more than 5,000 students.
Ben Karaduman, TMSA’s superintendent, told the Review Board they want to open a campus next year at 2224 N.C. 54 in Durham near Research Triangle Park. He said the K-8 school will have a capacity of around 900 students.
“We are not only providing an easier commute for the existing students, we are also opening more vacancies in Apex and Cary campuses so that we can melt our current 5,000 waitlist and then serve more North Carolina students,” Karaduman said.
‘Loophole’ in charter application process?
Instead of applying for a new charter school, TMSA asked the Review Board to amend Triangle Math and Science Academy’s charter to allow it to open what it calls a “sub-campus.” It was a new concept for the Review Board.
“If we’re going to see the charter school movement expand in North Carolina, we’re going to have some kind of options like this: a sub-campus,” said Review Board member Lindalyn Kakadelis.
Kakadelis said the current process of answering 250 questions with hundreds of pages when applying for a new charter school is too bureaucratic.
But Review Board member Eric Sanchez said he likes that there’s a regulatory process in place before they award millions of dollars to new charter schools.
“I’m not sure I like this idea of I open a sub-campus in a different district and just call it a way of expanding that requires a quick 10 slides and an executive summary and 20 minutes of deliberation,” Sanchez said. “I think that’s a loophole in the process I’m not sure I’m OK with.”
The majority of Review Board members cited TMSA’s strong academic record for approving the request. But the Review Board also agreed to form a committee to study how to handle future sub-campus requests.
“I do think as a board we probably need to put together some criteria around who can even request a sub-campus path,” said Review Board chair Bruce Friend.
IDYL approved for new Wake County charter
In contrast, the leaders of the Institute for the Development of Young Leaders, also known as IDYL Charter School, went the more traditional route. The Review Board approved IDYL’s request to try to replicate in Wake County its successful charter school in Durham.
Review board members praised the academic gains IDYL has seen in Durham. For the most recent school year, IDYL received a C academic performance grade from the state and its students exceeded academic growth targets on state exams.
“The work that IDYL has done has made them a success story and a unicorn in this landscape,” said Yvette Munroe, IDYL’s chief executive officer. “We would like to offer that opportunity to the families in Wake County, which would further the impact in North Carolina’s communities and bring about positive change.”
The new IDYL-Wake is scheduled to open in 2026 at 3211 Bramer Drive in east Raleigh, the home of the now-closed Torchlight Academy charter school. The plan is to eventually expand to serve 450 elementary and middle school students.
IDYL chose a part of Wake County that has large numbers of low-income families and students who are performing below grade level. Munroe told the Review Board they’ve already gotten interest from families of 1,400 students.
“We will engage kids and their families who have been disenfranchised and defined as unteachable,” said Christopher Edwards, chair of IDYL’s board. “We will engage them with a model that says every child can learn. That there is no child, given the right resources, cannot be taught.”
West Triangle High relocation approved
The Review Board was also supportive Monday of West Triangle High School’s request to open now in Durham.
West Triangle High was originally approved by the state to open in 2023 in Orange County. But the school’s plan to open on Lawrence Road, between U.S. 70-A and Old N.C. 10 in Hillsborough drew community opposition, The News and Observer previously reported.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners rejected the school’s rezoning request. A plan to open at Eno River Mill also fell through.
The Review Board gave permission for West Triangle High to open in an office building at 100 Capitola Drive in Durham. School leaders say they still plan to open in 2026 and eventually grow to serve 700 students.
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
