Charlotte is at the forefront of innovation in education today. The public school system, which implemented court-ordered busing to achieve desegregation in 1970, is now considered a model for the entire country in terms of race relations. In 2002 the Council of Great City Schools issued a report profiling the school district as one of four nationwide having "reduced racial disparities in academic achievement." A key component to their success comes from the Equity Plus program that operates in specific schools and features reduced student-teacher ratios, added teacher incentives, and additional supplies and equipment.
As one of four finalists in the Broad Foundation's 2004 annual competition, Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools received $125,000 in scholarship monies for graduating seniors in recognition of bridging the inequities in achievement among ethnic groups as well as between high and low income students. A study by Forbes in February 2004 ranked the district seventh on its "The Best Education in the Biggest Cities" list that focused on various factors such as housing values and high school graduation rates. In the 2004–2005 school year, the district is testing a "Pay for Performance" program that links specific student academic performance directly to teacher bonuses.
The following is a summary of data regarding Charlotte's public schools as of the 2004–2005 school year.
Total enrollment: 121,640
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 91
junior high/middle schools: 32
senior high schools: 17
other: 11
Student/teacher ratio: kindergarten-grade 3, 19:1; grades 4-8, 22:1; 9-12, 29:1
Teacher salaries
minimum: $28,724
maximum: $65,566
Funding per pupil: $7,311
Education in grades kindergarten through twelve is also provided at more than 60 private schools in the area.
Public Schools Information: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, 701 E. Second St., Charlotte, NC 28202; telephone (980) 343-7450; fax (980)343-5164; email cms@cms.k12.nc.us
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the fastest growing campus in the University of North Carolina system, offers dozens of undergraduate options in 7 colleges to its nearly 20,000 students, including approximately 4,000 graduate students. Three local institutions are affiliated with the Presbyterian Church: Davidson College, Queens University of Charlotte, and Johnson C. Smith University. With 1,600 students, Davidson College in northern Mecklenburg County was founded in 1837 and is considered one of the most competitive liberal arts and sciences colleges in the nation. Queens University of Charlotte, formerly (in 2002) Queens College, offers bachelor's degree programs in arts, science, nursing, and music. Originally chartered as the Biddle Memorial Institute in 1867, Johnson C. Smith University is one of the oldest historically African American colleges in the country with more than half of its 1,500 students coming from out-of-state. Winthrop College, located in Rock Hill, South Carolina, is highly regarded for its executive master's in business administration program, as well as its training of future teachers and home economists. In fall 2004 Johnson & Wales University, opened the doors to its career-focused institution that operates in five other states nationwide.
The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County is North Carolina's largest system, with a 187,000-square-foot main library, six regional libraries, and 16 branch locations. The library system lends books, CDs, tapes, videos, and software along with providing many searchable online resources. The main library downtown contains a large local history and genealogy library, a depository for U.S. Government publications, an International Business Library, and the Virtual Library—a computer learning laboratory. Other libraries in the area include those affiliated with academic institutions (such as the one million volume collection at the University of North Carolina's J. Murrey Atkins Library), commercial concerns, and medical and legal organizations. Research centers affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte conduct activities in such fields as microelectronics, bimolecular engineering, social science and urban studies. The University Research Park, located on a 3,200-acre campus near the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, has attracted a combination of regional and national businesses engaged in research, manufacturing, and services.
Public Library Information: Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, 310 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202-2176; telephone (704)336-2725