Coulwood STEM Academy

Set in Charlotte, North Carolina, Coulwood STEM Academy is a mid-sized middle-grades school, run under Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. It enrolls 632 students across grades 6 through 8.

Across the 186 schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (145,014 students total), Coulwood STEM Academy accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Coulwood STEM Academy reports that the largest single group is Black, at 63% of enrollment. The remainder reads as 26% Hispanic, 4% White, 3% multiracial, 3% Asian. By comparison, Mecklenburg County as a whole is about 30% Black, so the school skews visibly more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, The school employs 42 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.9:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.9:1 average. An estimated 100% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Mecklenburg County runs at roughly 71%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Coulwood STEM Academy sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 48.5%; this one delivers 59.6%.

Across the wider county, Mecklenburg County reports that median household income runs about $87,005, 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Across Mecklenburg County's 226 public schools (combined enrollment of about 170,407 students), Coulwood STEM Academy is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Movement School Northwest, roughly 0.7 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Coulwood STEM Academy. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Coulwood STEM Academy ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 48.3%.

Coulwood STEM Academy operates from a city-core location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 15%: 745 students in 2018 compared to 632 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment expanded from 19% to 26% over that span.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.