Two charter schools in the Border Belt enroll a significantly higher percentage of white and wealthier students than the public school districts where they are located, according to a report from Public Schools First NC.
At Southeastern Academy in Robeson County, 66% of students were white during the 2023-2024 school year, according to the report released in May. Throughout Public Schools of Robeson County, 10% were white.
About 21% of Southeastern Academy’s 218 students in kindergarten through eighth grade qualified for free or reduced-price lunch during the 2023-2024 school year, compared to 71% of students in the public school district.
At Emereau: Bladen, 61% of the school’s 581 students were white, while 34% of students in Bladen County Schools were white. About 47% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 72% in public schools.
The report, “North Carolina Charter Schools: Undermining Quality Education for All,” highlights the demographics and structures of charter schools across the state. Public Schools First is a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for public education.
Advocates of charter schools say they give families a choice on where to educate their children. Critics argue that the schools, which receive taxpayer money but do not have to follow some of the rules of public schools, take money away from the public education system. They also say charter schools contribute to segregation and “white flight” from public schools.
State law mandates that charter schools must “make efforts” to reflect the communities where they are located. But some schools fall short, according to data from Public Schools First NC.
Six percent of students at Southeastern Academy during the 2023-2024 school year were Black, compared to 23% of students in Robeson County public schools.
Southeastern Academy did not return requests for comment for this story. Neither did Emerau: Bladen, where 17% of students during the 2023-2024 school year were Black. Throughout Bladen County Schools, 35% of students were Black.
Two charter schools in Robeson County — CIS Academy and Old Main Stream Academy — had student populations that were more than 80% Native American. Robeson is home to the Lumbee tribe and many Tuscarora families.
School meals
North Carolina had 210 charter schools in 61 counties during the 2024-25 school year, according to the report.
Most counties without a charter school are rural, including Scotland County in the Border Belt.
Unlike public schools, charter schools do not have to provide breakfast and lunch. Packing a lunch or paying for meals at school can be a burden for low-income families.
Robeson County public schools offer free breakfast and lunch to students, regardless of their families’ income, through a federal program. Southeastern Academy students must bring their lunch or pay for a catered lunch, according to Public Schools First. Emereau: Bladen reportedly charges $5 per meal.
