Writer: Joshua Andino
2 min read October 2022 — With headlines quick to note the strength of the business community and new relocations or office expansions to Charlotte alongside increasing population numbers, the region’s schools are keeping pace, thanks to their robust curriculums and the ability to evolve in line with the city’s growth.
“Traditional education is important but the notion of creative thinking, entrepreneurship and strategic design are things that are going to be demanded more and more from employers. That will impact the curriculum,” said Glyn Cowlishaw, the head of Providence Day School, which once again ranked No.1 on Niche.com’s assessment of Charlotte-area schools.
Over the decade to 2020, Charlotte’s population grew 19.6% to 874,579, and it shows no signs of slowing, which is also a good sign for education institutions. “We have an incredibly bright outlook as we are fortunate to be here in Charlotte,” added Cowlishaw.
While the pandemic has essentially receded, its legacy of virtual programming and remote learning remains. By now, complete remote learning has shown itself to be unfeasible, but it has become a key tool as a supplement to in-person learning, with schools using remote learning to support students who for whatever reason can’t make it into the classroom.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced a quick pivot to virtual classes as Tropical Storm Ian approached last week, for example, and the convenience of virtual meetings, with the ability to skip traffic and accommodate schedules is too great to be ignored. “Technology is here to stay and it is going to influence everything we do. We are finding that we do more meetings virtually and are actually seeing an increase in attendance,” explained Cowlishaw.
Charlotte’s growth has seen demand for schools ramp up as well. Local charter schools saw their population swell by 2,000 students from 2020-21 and parents are looking at a variety of different schools to ensure their children receive the education they require. The growth has been strong enough that some schools have had to limit the number of students admitted or implement a policy of slower, more deliberate growth. “Our applications have grown during the past three years by 70%,” Barry Giller, head of Charlotte Christian School, told Invest:. “Intentionally, our enrollment has not grown at that level but it has grown by 3-5%. Right now, we are at 98% capacity. We feel comfortable with the size of our school … We’re not looking to grow for the sake of growing.”
Facilities improvements and upgrades have been implemented, both as part of long-term plans and to meet the needs of a growing student population. Providence Day School opened new and renovated spaces, including expanding capacity for 700 students at Brinkley Dining Hall and a total of 29,000 square feet of new or renovated space. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is currently assessing its construction needs for the next 10 years, with a number of renovations, new buildings and a new $61.5 million middle school to relieve overcrowding at Community House Middle School
As a number of cities across the Sun Belt continue to see new residents, schools are a decisive factor in where they settle. With Charlotte’s public, private and charter schools taking a proactive stance on how best to keep up with the growth, and North Carolina’s top-ranked colleges and universities providing a complete ecosystem for students from kindergarten through undergraduate, the city and wider region will continue to see parents move to the area and businesses look to recruit the next generation of talent.
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