Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools operates 175 schools (grades PK–13). Individual school names, addresses, and attendance zone boundaries are available directly from the district.
| Metric | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools | National Average | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student Enrollment | 140,000 | 3,700 | Much larger than avg |
| Number of Schools | 175 | 6 | Varies by district |
| Per-Pupil Spending | $10,000/yr | $13,700/yr | ↓ 27% below avg |
| District Type | Urban | Public District | — |
| Overall Rating | 8/10 — Good | — | Above average |
- Palisades Park Elementary — Grades K–5 · 940 students
- Blythe Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 902 students
- Huntersville Elementary — Grades K–5 · 867 students
- Mint Hill Elementary School — Grades PK–5 · 864 students
- Idlewild Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 850 students
- Reedy Creek Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 850 students
- Stoney Creek Elementary — Grades K–5 · 850 students
- Whitewater Academy — Grades PK–5 · 832 students
- J.V. Washam Elementary — Grades K–5 · 818 students
- Barnette Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 818 students
- Hidden Valley Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 808 students
- Endhaven Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 790 students
- Sterling Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 786 students
- Winding Springs Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 786 students
- Paw Creek Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 784 students
- Gov's Village STEM (Lower) — Grades PK–4 · 784 students
- Huntingtowne Farms Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 776 students
- Bain Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 766 students
- South Pine Academy — Grades PK–5 · 765 students
- Lawrence Orr Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 751 students
- Ballantyne Elementary — Grades K–5 · 745 students
- Pineville Elementary — Grades K–5 · 742 students
- Grove Park Elementary School — Grades PK–5 · 740 students
- University Meadows Elementary — Grades PK–5 · 737 students
- Elon Park Elementary — Grades K–5 · 732 students
- + 74 more elementary schools
- Community House Middle — Grades 6–8 · 1,425 students
- Jay M. Robinson Middle — Grades 6–8 · 1,333 students
- Bailey Middle — Grades 6–8 · 1,315 students
- Randolph Middle — Grades 6–8 · 1,215 students
- Southwest Middle School — Grades 6–8 · 1,205 students
- Alexander Graham Middle — Grades 6–8 · 1,187 students
- Piedmont Middle School — Grades 6–8 · 1,108 students
- Quail Hollow Middle — Grades 6–8 · 1,090 students
- Francis Bradley Middle — Grades 6–8 · 1,089 students
- McClintock Middle — Grades 6–8 · 1,056 students
- Northridge Middle — Grades 6–8 · 1,014 students
- Carmel Middle — Grades 6–8 · 1,004 students
- Kennedy Middle — Grades 6–8 · 990 students
- Crestdale Middle — Grades 6–8 · 989 students
- Albemarle Road Middle — Grades 6–8 · 945 students
- Mint Hill Middle — Grades 6–8 · 878 students
- Eastway Middle — Grades 6–8 · 849 students
- Martin Luther King Jr Middle — Grades 6–8 · 844 students
- Ridge Road Middle — Grades 6–8 · 840 students
- J. M. Alexander Middle — Grades 6–8 · 799 students
- South Charlotte Middle — Grades 6–8 · 770 students
- Ranson Middle — Grades 6–8 · 757 students
- Whitewater Middle — Grades 6–8 · 731 students
- Gov's Village STEM (Upper) — Grades 5–8 · 684 students
- James Martin Middle — Grades 6–8 · 659 students
- + 5 more middle schools
- Myers Park High School — Grades 9–12 · 3,225 students
- Ardrey Kell High School — Grades 9–12 · 3,036 students
- South Mecklenburg High School — Grades 9–12 · 2,534 students
- William Amos Hough High — Grades 9–12 · 2,518 students
- East Mecklenburg High School — Grades 9–12 · 2,422 students
- Palisades High School — Grades 9–12 · 2,332 students
- Julius L. Chambers High School — Grades 9–12 · 2,225 students
- Providence High School — Grades 9–12 · 2,167 students
- Mallard Creek High School — Grades 9–12 · 2,068 students
- Independence High School — Grades 9–12 · 2,024 students
- West Charlotte High School — Grades 9–12 · 2,008 students
- Garinger High School — Grades 9–12 · 1,877 students
- North Mecklenburg High School — Grades 9–12 · 1,854 students
- Hopewell High School — Grades 9–12 · 1,851 students
- Butler High School — Grades 9–12 · 1,791 students
- Rocky River High School — Grades 9–12 · 1,562 students
- Phillip O Berry Academy of Technology — Grades 9–12 · 1,533 students
- Olympic High School — Grades 9–12 · 1,483 students
- Ballantyne Ridge High School — Grades 9–11 · 1,414 students
- West Mecklenburg High School — Grades 9–12 · 1,290 students
- Harding University High School — Grades 9–12 · 1,204 students
- Char Eng Early College-UNCC — Grades 9 · 313 students
- Central Piedmont Early College — Grades 9 · 278 students
- Hawthorne Academy of Health Sciences — Grades 9–12 · 239 students
- Levine Middle College High Sch — Grades 11 · 216 students
- + 7 more high schools
- South Academy of International Languages — Grades K–8 · 1,259 students
- Davidson K-8 School — Grades K–8 · 1,185 students
- Rea Farms STEAM Academy — Grades K–8 · 1,098 students
- Northwest School of the Arts — Grades 6–12 · 993 students
- Collinswood Language Academy — Grades K–8 · 893 students
- Cochrane Collegiate Academy — Grades 6–12 · 854 students
- Mountain Island Lake Academy — Grades PK–8 · 766 students
- Renaissance West STEAM Academy — Grades PK–8 · 737 students
- North Academy of World Languages — Grades K–8 · 668 students
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Virtual School — Grades 5–12 · 619 students
- Charlotte East Language Academy — Grades K–8 · 594 students
- Thomasboro Academy — Grades K–8 · 569 students
- Oaklawn Language Academy — Grades K–8 · 531 students
- Sedgefield Montessori — Grades PK–6 · 485 students
- Berryhill School — Grades PK–8 · 423 students
- Williams Secondary Montessori — Grades 7–12 · 401 students
- Highland Mill Montessori — Grades PK–6 · 341 students
- Ashley Park PreK-8 School — Grades PK–8 · 338 students
- Marie G Davis School — Grades K–8 · 328 students
- Chantilly Montessori — Grades PK–6 · 316 students
- Walter G. Byers School — Grades PK–8 · 303 students
- Druid Hills Academy — Grades PK–8 · 288 students
- Metro School — Grades PK–12 · 258 students
- Lincoln Heights Montessori — Grades PK–6 · 244 students
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Academy — Grades K–12 · 91 students
About Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is the public school district that serves ZIP 28226 in Charlotte, North Carolina in Mecklenburg County. A 8/10 rating places it in the upper range of North Carolina districts on NCES funding and size data. The district operates 175 schools and serves roughly 140,000 students (one of the larger districts in the state), covering Pre-K – 13. Review the funding and enrollment data above, then contact the district to confirm which schools serve your exact address before you commit to a move.
Funding and Resources
According to NCES 2024–2025, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spends approximately $10,000 per student per year, placing it near the North Carolina state average of approximately $10,500 and below the national average nationally (U.S. average: $13,700/year). Below-average funding can mean larger class sizes, fewer elective offerings, and limited extracurricular programs. Families with specialized needs should verify specific program availability directly with the district. Per-pupil spending directly affects teacher compensation, class sizes, elective course offerings, technology access, and the depth of student support services — making it one of the most meaningful structural indicators of district capacity.
District Scale and Program Breadth
At 175 schools serving grades Pre-K – 13, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools qualifies as a major metropolitan district serving students from Pre-K – 13. The district enrolls approximately 140,000 students in total. Major metropolitan districts operate dozens to hundreds of schools across wide geographic areas. They often include magnet schools, gifted programs, dual-language academies, and career and technical education pathways not available in smaller systems. Within-district quality variation is significant: a school two miles from your address might be rated very differently from your assigned school.
Understanding the 8/10 Rating
With a rating of 8/10 (above average), Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools ranks among North Carolina’s above average-rated school systems. Our ratings are built from NCES Common Core of Data and measure structural factors: per-pupil expenditure, student-teacher ratio, enrollment stability, and school count. They do not incorporate test scores or graduation rates, which are not consistently available across all 13,500+ US districts in the NCES dataset.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools earns an above-average rating, reflecting stronger-than-typical resource levels and stable enrollment trends for North Carolina. Above-average districts generally offer solid program variety, adequate staffing, and a track record of organizational stability. Families considering this area will find a district with meaningful strengths. Research the specific schools assigned to your address — even above-average districts have variation between individual buildings.
Enrollment for Families in Zip Code 28226
Children in zip code 28226 are assigned to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for public school enrollment, covering grades Pre-K – 13. School assignments are address-specific — your elementary, middle, and high school placements depend on your exact street address within zip code 28226, not just your neighborhood. Two homes on opposite ends of the same zip code may be assigned to different schools within the same district.
To confirm your specific school assignments, contact Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools at (980)343-6270 or visit www.cms.k12.nc.us. Typical enrollment documents include proof of address, a government-issued birth certificate, immunization records, and any existing school records or IEP documentation. If your child has an IEP or 504 plan, bring that documentation to enrollment — North Carolina districts are required to continue services within a reasonable period. Fall enrollment windows typically open in late winter or early spring; contact the district for exact dates and required steps.
School Districts and Home Values in Charlotte
For families considering a purchase in the Charlotte area, district assignment matters financially. Because Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools serves zip code 28226, homes in and around zip code 28226 often carry a measurable premium over comparable properties in adjacent lower-rated districts. District boundaries are address-specific — verify the exact district assignment for any property you’re seriously considering rather than assuming based on the neighborhood. A single block can place two adjacent homes in different districts with different ratings and different annual property tax implications.
Use the property tax estimator on this page to calculate estimated annual tax obligations based on your target purchase price. In North Carolina, property taxes are a primary funding source for public schools — your tax payments directly support Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools programs and staff. Understanding both district quality and the associated tax burden is essential financial due diligence before committing to any home in zip code 28226.
Data Sources and Accuracy
All district information on this page is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024–2025, the U.S. Department of Education’s annual census of all public school districts — the same dataset used by researchers, journalists, and policymakers to analyze American public education. District boundaries, school assignments, phone numbers, and per-pupil expenditure figures are updated annually when NCES publishes new data, typically in spring. Always verify your specific school assignment and enrollment requirements directly with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools before making any housing or enrollment decision based on zip code 28226 data.