Cary Academy will fully cover tuition for some families. Here are details.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Cary Academy will cover full attendance costs for households earning $100,000 or less.
- Families above $100,000 can receive 50%–95% financial aid.
- Program covers tuition, dining, transportation, before-care and extended-day services.
One of North Carolina’s best and most expensive private schools has announced a new program to cover the cost for families who normally couldn’t afford to attend.
In a news release Thursday, Cary Academy announced its Charger Promise program will fully cover the cost of attendance for families with a combined household income of $100,000 or less. In addition, some families who make above that amount will be eligible to receive financial assistance covering between 50% and 95% of the cost of attending.
“Access to an exceptional education shouldn’t depend on a family’s financial means,” Mike Ehrhardt, Cary Academy’s Head of School, said in a news release. “Charger Promise is a tangible expression of our strategic commitments to expanding access and opportunity. We’re redefining what affordability looks like in independent education and proving that excellence and equity can — and must — go hand in hand.”
Highly rated private school
Cary Academy opened in 1997 and now serves 789 middle school and high school students. It was founded by SAS Institute co-founders James Goodnight and John Sall.
The school often makes best school lists.
Niche ranked Cary Academy as the No. 2 high school in North Carolina and the top private high school in the state. Stacker used Niche’s data to rank Cary Academy as the top private high school in the Raleigh metro area.
Ir is not cheap to attend though. This school year, annual tuition is more than $30,000, not including fees.
None of the 103,400 students receiving a North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship to help cover private school costs this fall are listed as attending Cary Academy. But the school says it provided $3.1 million in needs-based financial aid last year.
Expanding access to families making less than $100,000
Cary Academy says it quietly launched the Charger Promise program last year. It’s being expanded for next school year.
The Charger Promiser Program will cover 100% of the cost for families making $100,000 or less. This includes tuition, dining, transportation, before-care, and extended-day. The school did not say how many students the program would accept.
The school said the program was made possible through the leadership support and contributions of Holly and Travis May, both alumni of the Class of 2005.
“As a Cary Academy student coming from rural Chatham County, I needed and benefited from financial assistance,” Holly May said in a news release.. “I know firsthand how transformative this school can be. Cary Academy was the delta in the trajectory of my life. Through Charger Promise, we hope to open that same door of possibility for other students whose potential should never be limited by circumstance.”
The school is now accepting applications for the 2026-27 school year. Go to www.caryacademy.org/withinreach for more information about the school and the Charger Promise program.
