Total enrollment
145,014
+2,281 (+2%) vs SY 2020-21
186 schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
North Carolina · 145,014 students · 7 cities
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools runs 186 public K-12 schools per the latest NCES counts, with total enrollment near 145,014 (118 elementary, 30 middle, and 36 high).
4-year change in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
186
+10 (+6%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In North Carolina | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 54.1% | #41 of 112 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 145,014 | #2 of 116 | #16 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 186 | #2 of 116 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.8:1 | #87 of 116 | #6,991 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 70.2% | #92 of 114 | #1,926 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 72.4% | #6 of 111 | #183 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
State test results across the district's 173 scored schools run from Polo Ridge Elementary at 91.0% proficient to Garinger High School at 19.0%, a gap of 72.0 points. That is the 4th widest gap among 104 North Carolina districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 171 district schools that reported both years went from 144,990 to 133,213 students (down 8%) and from 8,688 to 7,922 full-time teachers (down 9%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
About Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Across 186 schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teaches about 145,014 students in North Carolina. By footprint it is a population-heavy district.
On the level-by-level breakdown, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools covers 118 elementary, 30 middle, 36 high schools, and 2 combined or other.
Average enrollment per school in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is about 780, higher than the North Carolina average of roughly 571.
Looking at the last 4 years. Across the same 4-year window, public-school enrollment stayed largely flat: 142,733 students in SY 2020-21 versus 145,014 in SY 2024-25. The school count climbed from 176 to 186 across the same 4-year window.
Within the allk12 community for this area, the community for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools discusses open enrollment windows, redistricting talk, and busing logistics. Parents, students, and educators in the area can post or comment.