NC approves new charter school in Wake County. Where and when it plans to open.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- State Review Board approved Focus Academy to open in 2026 in Southeast Raleigh.
- School will start K-2 with 200 students, expand to 390 K-8 over time.
- Board cited local need, approved lease while urging aggressive student recruitment.
A new charter school has gotten permission to open next year in Wake County after reassuring the concerns of state education leaders.
The N.C. Charter Schools Review Board on Oct. 7 approved the application for Focus Academy Charter School, which plans to open in 2026 in Southeast Raleigh before eventually moving to Garner. Review board members had almost rejected Focus in September but gave it a second interview to address their concerns about the school.
“Your confidence in what you’ve stated this time has made all rhe difference,” said Lindalyn Kakadelis, a Review Board member.
The unanimous vote came as a relief to the school, which a month ago was on the edge of a rejection for the second year in a row. Focus says it will emphasize integrating arts into instruction in the K-8 school.
“We want every child in Focus Academy to believe in themselves,” said Sherria Grubbs, chair of he board of Focus. “We want them to believe when they walk out the door that they can achieve anything, that they can do anything and that they can believe in themselves. That’s our purpose, and why we’re here today.”
Board wanted answers about relationship with ATA
Charter schools are taxpayer-funded schools that are exempt from some of the regulations that traditional public schools must follow. But unlike private schools that accept taxpayer-funded vouchers from the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program, charter schools are still public schools.
More than 200 charter schools are open in North Carolina, including 26 in Wake County. But Grubbs, who will step down as board chair to be the school’s head administrator, pointed to the lack of charter school options in Garner for elementary and middle school students.
Focus applied in 2024 but was rejected by the Review Board. But board members encouraged Focus to apply again.
Focus received many questions at its September interview, including on the nature of its relationship with American Traditional Academies (ATA). On Tuesday, Focus gave details on how ATA will provide services but not manage operations as it does with other charter schools.
Focus says it intends to be an independent, locally run charter school.
“Anybody that’s watching that saw what happened the first time with this interview and where we are today,” said John Eldridge, vice chair of the Review Board. “I hope you also took notes and paid attention to the difference in the two interviews.”
Will the school have enough students?
Focus plans to open next year with 200 students in kindergarten through second grade. It plans to expand over time to 390 elementary and middle school students.
Focus has signed a five-year lease with Word of God Fellowship Church on Rock Quarry Road in Southeast Raleigh. Focus will use the building that used to house Word of God Fellowship Academy.
But Grubbs said their plan is to find a permanent facility to serve families in the Garner area, which has several high-poverty public schools with lower-than-average test scores.
“This is not about us,” Grubbs. “This is about the children we want to serve, the options we want to give to parents.”
Bruce Friend, chair of the Review Board, urged Focus to continue being aggressive in its recruitment efforts. Friend said he wants to avoid a repeat of what happened Monday when the Review Board voted to close Triad International Studies Academy in High Point because the new charter school doesn’t have enough students.
Grubbs said Focus has gotten strong community interest. The Review Board will continue to monitor Focus and the other charter schools approved to open in 2026 to see if they attract enough students.
“This is going into a community that can really benefit from this,” Friend said. “But we can’t just take for granted that they’ll come because you’re the new guys in town.”
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 2:45 PM.
