The wait ends December 1. 67 days until open enrollment for 2027–28. Read the enrollment guide

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Classical Charter Schools of America

Tuition-free classical public schools.

Educating over 2,500 students in Leland, Southport, Whiteville and Wilmington, North Carolina.

Join The List2026–2027 Full Year Calendar
Teacher smiles while leading a classroom activity with students seated in a circle.
We Are CCS
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CCS Leland ranks #1 in the nation on the 2025 CLT8. Tuition-free. Shared first-place ranking.

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Open enrollment

Next open enrollment: the 2027–28 school year

Join the list for enrollment reminders. When enrollment opens, choose your campus and grade to begin.

  1. ApplyDecember 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027
  2. LotteryDate announced soon
  3. Offers and registrationYour campus shares the next steps

Not first-come, first-served. Every application received during open enrollment is included in the lottery if a grade has more applicants than seats.

Leland, Southport, Whiteville and Wilmington

Open enrollment for 2027–28

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Awards and recognition

Private-school results. Tuition-free.

Among more than 250 schools on the 2025 Classic Learning Test for eighth graders (CLT8), CCS Leland and CCS Whiteville were the only public schools in the top 20. Every other school in the top 20 charged tuition.

  • 2025–26:CCS Leland and CCS Whiteville named Beta Schools of Distinction
  • 2025 and 2026:First in North Carolina, Sons of the American Revolution youth history contests
  • 2024–25:CCS Southport posts the highest End-of-Grade scores among Brunswick County public elementary and middle schools
  • 2023:Stanford CREDO names The Roger Bacon Academy a gap-busting network in reading and math
  • 2022–23:CCS Leland named to the national top 20, CLT8 School Rankings
  • 2016:CCS Leland receives the Wesley Becker Excellent School Award

See all awards and results

2025 CLT8 rankings: CCS Leland #1; CCS Whiteville #3. Each shares its placement with another school. Medallions are drawn by CCS-America to name each honor; they are not the issuing organizations’ badges.

Our results

CCS by the numbers

Every number shows its year and source. Select Source to check it.

If our three K–8 schools were one district

17th of 117

North Carolina school systems, 2024–25. Leland, Southport and Whiteville only.

  1. 17thCCS-America's three K–8 schools
  2. 43rdWhere the state average would rank
  3. 46thBrunswick County Schools
  4. 93rdColumbus County Schools

CCS Southport vs. North Carolina

Students proficient on 2024–25 End-of-Grade tests.

CCS Southport
73.1%
North Carolina
55.0%

CCS Southport had the highest scores of any public elementary or middle school in Brunswick County.

CCS Leland vs. its county district

Students proficient on 2024–25 End-of-Grade tests.

CCS Leland
66.6%
Brunswick County Schools
54.7%

What families pay

$0Tuition at every CCS-America school. No application fee.
$6,200–$36,000Yearly tuition at the private schools that ranked beside CCS in the 2025 CLT8 top 20
See every result and source

Three laws. One method. Every classroom.

The same written philosophy is trained, observed and coached in all four buildings, so a child who moves from Leland to Southport finds the same school.

Direct Instruction, every lesson
  1. 1Model: “Watch me do it.”
  2. 2Lead: “Let’s do it together.”
  3. 3Test: “Now show me.”

Taught to mastery

Teachers model each skill, lead the class through it, then check that every child can do it alone. A new step starts only when the last one is firm.

How Direct Instruction works
Kindergarten through eighth grade
  • Phonics and reading
  • Cursive handwriting
  • Formal grammar
  • Latin
  • History, in chronological order

A classical curriculum

Children learn to read with phonics, write in cursive, diagram a sentence and study history in the order it happened, with Latin woven through.

See the curriculum
The first of the Three Laws
“Reward good behavior, you’ll get more of it.”

Character, practiced daily

Each morning, after the Pledge of Allegiance, students recite the school pledge. Teachers notice and name good conduct, specifically and every day.

That recognition brings joy to the classroom: the pride of effort noticed, a skill mastered, and a child ready to try again.

Read the Three Laws

Ready for high school, and ahead of it.

The CLT8 measures high-school readiness in reading, grammar and math. In 2025, two CCS-America K–8 schools ranked first and third in the nation.

Students at CCS Leland, CCS Southport and CCS Whiteville can also earn up to five high-school credits before ninth grade, so they start high school with courses already on their transcript.

#1

in the nation · 2025 CLT8

CCS Leland
#3

in the nation · 2025 CLT8

CCS Whiteville
How the credits work
Before ninth gradeUp to five credits
  1. 1English IHigh-school credit
  2. 2Math IHigh-school credit
  3. 3Earth and Environmental ScienceHigh-school credit
  4. 4Latin IHigh-school credit
  5. 5Latin IIHigh-school credit

Offered at Leland, Southport and Whiteville. Placement and completion requirements apply.

See it for yourself

Watch two of our schools in their own videos, and hear what one CCS Leland parent values most.

CCS Leland girls' soccer team posing on the field.

CCS Leland, K–8

The original CCS campus, opened in 2000, in its own video.

What Joshua Goodson values most: a classical curriculum taught alongside “honesty, integrity, and respect.”

Joshua Goodson, CCS Leland parent. From the CCS Leland admissions page.

CCS Whiteville eighth-grade graduates in caps and gowns.

CCS Whiteville, K–8

Columbus County's nationally ranked classical school, in its own words.

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Find your school

Four campuses. One standard.

Next school tour

Tours are booked by each campus office

Tour and information-session dates for the 2027–28 enrollment season will be posted here. Until then, call the campus you're interested in.

See campus phone numbers

Not sure which campus?

Compare all four side by side

Grades, towns, results, recognition and contacts on one page, plus a nearest-campus finder.

Compare all four schools

More than a classroom.

Teams, contests, stages and ceremonies across four campuses.

Explore student life
  • CCS Southport students on stage in costume.Drama

    Drama

    CCS Southport students performing Wonderland, 2026.

  • CCS-America cheerleaders with their 2024 U.S. Finals championship banners.Cheer

    Cheer

    CCS-America cheer squads have won national championships.

  • CCS-America student archery team.Archery

    Archery

    CCS-America archers have won North Carolina state titles.

  • History

    First in North Carolina in the Sons of the American Revolution youth history contests, 2025 and 2026.

  • CCS Leland girls' soccer team.Sports

    Sports

    CCS Leland girls' soccer team, 2025. Middle-school soccer began its new season in September.

  • Beta Club

    CCS Leland and CCS Whiteville were named Beta Schools of Distinction for 2025–26.

  • History Bowl

    An annual history competition across the CCS-America network.

  • CCS Whiteville graduates in caps and gowns.Graduation

    Graduation

    CCS Whiteville eighth-grade graduation, 2021.

Network news

From the CCS-America school newsletter.

All news

Quick facts

The essentials in one place, current as of September 2026.

What it is
Four tuition-free public charter schools with a classical curriculum, governed by Classical Charter Schools of America, Inc., a North Carolina nonprofit, and managed by The Roger Bacon Academy.

Read the full enrollment FAQ

CCS-America at a glance

Updated September 2026
Schools
CCS Leland (K–8, Leland), CCS Southport (K–8, Bolivia), CCS Whiteville (K–8, Whiteville) and CCS Wilmington (K–5, downtown Wilmington).
Tuition
$0.No application fee.
Open enrollment, 2027–28
December 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027. A lottery decides when a grade has more applicants than seats.
Who can apply
Any child who lives in North Carolina. Kindergarten applicants must turn 5 on or before August 31, 2027.
Calendar
Year-round, with fall, winter and spring breaks. The 2026–27 school year began July 29, 2026.
Network office
3610 Thaddeus Lott Lane, Leland, NC 28451. 910-655-3600
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Planning ahead starts here.

Open enrollment for 2027–28 begins December 1. Save your interest or contact the campus about enrollment and visits.

Campus or campuses of interest

We use your information only for CCS-America enrollment updates. Privacy notice.

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