Original Research by School Decision on Tillery Charter Academy
Tillery Charter Academy is a small, early-grades charter school in Montgomery County, North Carolina, serving students from kindergarten through sixth grade. The school has been growing and expanding its footprint over recent years, moving from serving younger grades to now include middle-grade students, a shift that reflects its effort to become a longer-running pathway for families rather than a school where children transition out at a certain point.
The student body is small, with a total enrollment across all seven grades. The enrollment is predominantly white, with smaller numbers of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students, and very few Asian students. The specific makeup of free or reduced price lunch eligibility and special populations such as students with IEPs or English learners is not publicly reported for this charter, so a parent seeking that information would need to contact the school directly.
The school has recently completed a new building, finished in time for the 2023-2024 school year, which supports the grade-level expansion the school has undertaken. Most recently, the state's Charter Schools Review Board approved the school to expand from kindergarten through seventh grade to kindergarten through eighth grade. Additionally, the school plans to launch a remote academy serving grades six through eight beginning in the fall, using the school's own teachers and curriculum. That remote option would serve students across multiple counties in North Carolina, not just Montgomery County families.
However, the district brief raises a material concern: Tillery Charter Academy is currently designated as continually low-performing and is not in financial compliance, a status that triggered state-level oversight of its grade expansion. Academic proficiency data shows math and reading performance well below the North Carolina state average. State assessment data specific to Tillery's current proficiency rates was not available in the payload, so a parent would benefit from requesting the school's most recent testing results to understand where the school stands academically today and what interventions or instructional changes may be underway.
The school's expansion plans and new facilities suggest institutional ambition and financial backing, but that sits alongside the low-performance designation. For families drawn to small class sizes, early-grades focus, and a charter model, Tillery may warrant a visit and conversation with school leadership about the academic trajectory and the steps being taken to raise proficiency. For families prioritizing proven, above-average academic outcomes at entry point, the current performance data would likely be a reason to look elsewhere or to pursue direct accountability conversations with school administrators.
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