K–8 in Leland, Brunswick County
A tuition-free K–8 public charter school on a wooded 66-acre campus in Brunswick County, about fifteen minutes from downtown Wilmington. Opened in 2000 as Charter Day School, it is the original CCS-America campus.
Join the list for enrollment reminders. When enrollment opens, choose your campus and grade to begin.
#1 in the nation, 2025 CLT8Laurie Benton, Headmaster. 7055 Bacon's Way, Leland, NC 28451.
Captions and audio descriptions are still being reviewed. Contact your campus to request a transcript or description. Watch the school video on YouTube.
Open enrollment for 2027–28
through
Join The List| Grade | Status |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten | Ask the office |
| 1st grade | Ask the office |
| 2nd grade | Ask the office |
| 3rd grade | Ask the office |
| 4th grade | Ask the office |
| 5th grade | Ask the office |
| 6th grade | Ask the office |
| 7th grade | Ask the office |
| 8th grade | Ask the office |
Openings for 2027–28 are not published yet. Call 910-655-1214 to ask about a grade. All campuses
Each number shows its year and source.
Ranked #1 in the nation among more than 250 schools.
Source: Columbus County News, "CCS Whiteville Earns National Honor" (Mar 18, 2025)
Year: 2025
Scope: In the nation, among 250+ schools
B CCS-America's own published claim or a reputable third party. Not yet re-verified against the original source.
Students proficient, 2024–25 End-of-Grade tests.
Source: CCS-America FY2025 audit, Management's Discussion and Analysis · Read the FY2025 financial statements online
Year: 2024–25
A Verified against a primary or official record.
Students proficient, 2024–25 End-of-Grade tests.
Source: CCS-America 2025 Annual Bond Investor Call presentation (Dec 9, 2025) · Read the 2025 school-data presentation online
Year: 2024–25
B CCS-America's own published claim or a reputable third party. Not yet re-verified against the original source.
Source: Columbus County News, "CCS Whiteville Earns National Honor" (Mar 18, 2025)
Year: 2025
Scope: In the nation, among 250+ schools
B CCS-America's own published claim or a reputable third party. Not yet re-verified against the original source.
Source: CCS report-card letter (published on all four campus sites)
Year: 2025–26
B CCS-America's own published claim or a reputable third party. Not yet re-verified against the original source.
Source: CCS Leland admissions page
Year: 2022–23
B CCS-America's own published claim or a reputable third party. Not yet re-verified against the original source.
Source: CCS Leland admissions page
Year: 2016
B CCS-America's own published claim or a reputable third party. Not yet re-verified against the original source.
Earlier state recognition is listed with its years on the CCS Leland Achievements and Rankings page: North Carolina School of Distinction (five times), Honor School of Excellence, School of Excellence, a “Top 25 K–8 School” designation out of 1,865 schools, and High Growth or Exceeded Growth designations from 2004 to 2017.
Joy is part of the daily classroom culture. Teachers recognize good conduct and progress, helping children take pride in the skills they master.
Plain answers to the questions families ask first. Where a detail changes each year, the office has the current answer.
Reading taught through phonics, cursive handwriting, grammar, arithmetic taught to mastery, Latin roots, and history in the order it happened. Character is taught daily through the school pledge and the virtues it names.
The high-school credit path: English I, Math I, Earth and Environmental Science, Latin I and Latin II, with placement and completion requirements. Middle-school students also take part in sports, contests and clubs.
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 Leland
See the school in its own video.
Programs vary by campus and season. Ask CCS Leland which teams and clubs are running this year.
CCS Leland is the closest CCS-America K–8 campus for families in Leland, Belville and Navassa, and for Wilmington families looking for a K–8 school across the Cape Fear River.
Any child who lives in North Carolina may apply to any CCS-America campus.
Next school tour
Tour dates for the 2027–28 enrollment season will be posted here. Call 910-655-1214 to arrange a visit now.
K–8 in Leland, Brunswick County
7055 Bacon's Way
Leland, NC 28451
910-655-1214
info@ccsleland.net
Laurie Benton, Headmaster
School report cards, parent letters and family documents, organized by task. Published years identify the document edition.
| School year | Grade | Score (of 100) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | B | 70 | NC report card |
| 2023–24 | C | 68 | NC report card |
| 2022–23 | C | 68 | NC report card |
| 2021–22 | C | 65 | NC report card |
| 2020–21 | Not issued | Not reported | Campus report-card page |
| 2018–19 | B | 75 | NC report card |
North Carolina issued no School Performance Grades for 2019–20 or 2020–21. Grades combine achievement (80%) and growth (20%); they are not the same measure as End-of-Grade proficiency. Links checked September 9, 2026. Full report-card history for CCS Leland.
No. CCS Leland is a public charter school. It charges no tuition, any child who lives in North Carolina can apply, and when a grade has more applicants than seats, a lottery decides.
CCS Leland serves kindergarten through eighth grade.
7055 Bacon's Way, Leland, NC 28451, in Brunswick County. A wooded 66-acre campus in Brunswick County, about fifteen minutes from downtown Wilmington. Get directions.
Open enrollment for 2027–28 runs December 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027. When it opens, choose CCS Leland and your child’s grade, then complete the school’s official application. No separate website account is needed.
Laurie Benton is the headmaster. The office phone is 910-655-1214.
CCS Leland ranked #1 in the nation in the 2025 CLT8 School Rankings, among more than 250 schools. It was also named to the national top 20 in the 2022–23 rankings. The CLT8 is an eighth-grade test of high-school readiness in reading, grammar and math.
On 2024–25 End-of-Grade tests, 66.6% of CCS Leland students were proficient, compared with 54.7% in Brunswick County Schools and 55.0% statewide. Sources: CCS-America FY2025 audit and the December 2025 investor presentation.
