The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in Science. The lowest is 37% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Nc Virtual Academy
NC Virtual Academy is a statewide online charter school enrolling students in kindergarten through grade twelve. It is a single-building district, administratively based in Durham but serving families across North Carolina who choose virtual instruction. The school's enrollment has grown substantially in recent years and now stands at roughly middle-of-the-range size for a K-12 institution.
The student body is diverse. White students make up a plurality, followed by a substantial share of Black students, with meaningful representation of Hispanic students, two or more races, Asian students, and smaller numbers of Native American and Pacific Islander students. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data and counts of students with IEPs or English learners are not publicly reported for the school, so a reader cannot assess economic need or special-population support from the available data.
On state end-of-grade tests in grades three through eight, NC Virtual Academy's performance lags below proficiency benchmarks in both math and English language arts. In math, roughly one in three students tested scored at proficient level or above. In English language arts, just under half of tested students met proficiency. Science testing, administered to a smaller subset of the enrollment, showed a majority of tested students at proficient level. These results place the school well below the midpoint performance typical of North Carolina districts. It is worth noting that state testing data comparisons for virtual schools can be complex; virtual enrollment populations are not identical to traditional school populations by family circumstance or motivation, though that context does not change the reported numbers themselves.
NC Virtual Academy has carried a "continually low-performing" state designation since inception, a designation that has remained in place for nearly a decade. However, the school showed a marked shift in 2023, earning its first non-D performance grade (a C) and exceeding academic growth expectations. That was the only year either of North Carolina's two original virtual charters achieved that level. Since then, reported graduation rates have climbed into the mid-to-high 70-percent range, up from the low 60s five years prior. That trajectory is meaningful for families assessing whether the school's recent movement warrants confidence. Parents considering enrollment may want to look into the school's academic support structures, course offerings, and whether its teaching staff and student experience reflect that recent change, or whether the improvement is recent enough that broader systemic strength may still be developing.
The school operates in partnership with for-profit provider Stride/K12 under a charter model. In January 2026, the NC Charter Schools Review Board renewed NC Virtual Academy's charter for a multiyear term through June of a future year, ensuring the school's continued operation despite its long-running low-performing status. The State Board of Education has also approved an enrollment expansion, raising the school's cap significantly and accommodating growing demand for a tuition-free online K-12 option statewide. These decisions lock in school availability and the existing operating model for enrolled families.
Housing values in the 27713 ZIP code where the school's address sits have declined modestly year over year, while rental costs have declined slightly. Mortgage rates remain elevated. The local economy is anchored by Duke University and Duke Health, with a robust biotech and research-triangle sector also present. Durham itself is experiencing sustained growth, with population projected to rise meaningfully over the next two decades and recent heavy apartment development in the downtown core and surrounding areas.
For a family choosing virtual school, NC Virtual Academy offers tuition-free, full-time online instruction across all grades, making it accessible regardless of where in the state they live. The recent academic improvement and rising graduation rate suggest the school may be stabilizing, though the long performance gap and the single-year improvement mean families should still approach enrollment as an intentional choice, not a default. Families should ask the school directly about curriculum, teaching credentials, how much of instruction is live versus recorded, support for struggling students, and what the graduation supports and outcomes look like in practice.
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