Doral Academy of North Carolina, Raleigh NC

Original Research by School Decision on Doral Academy of North Carolina

Doral Academy of North Carolina is a relatively young, rapidly growing tuition-free public charter school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in northeast Raleigh, though the school is currently phasing in sixth and seventh grades and planning for a full K-8 configuration by the 2025-26 school year. The school sits within Wake County and serves a diverse student body of roughly mid-sized elementary enrollment, with a notably mixed racial and ethnic composition: about a third Black students, about a third White students, and a quarter Hispanic students, alongside smaller numbers of Asian and multiracial students. Roughly a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Doral's students in tested grades (3-5 in math and English, with a smaller cohort tested in science) showed strong proficiency in math and reading. Math proficiency hovered at a level consistent with solid elementary performance, and English language arts proficiency tracked nearly the same. Science proficiency, however, was considerably lower; a parent may want to look into this further with the school, especially as the science curriculum rolls out and the tested population grows. The science assessment itself changed format and scoring guidelines recently, which can make year-to-year comparisons difficult, so trends are not yet clear.

The school's rapid enrollment growth since its 2021 opening reflects strong demand for a new charter option in that part of Raleigh. The early-grade dominance (kindergarten and first grade together account for a substantial share of total enrollment, while tested grades are smaller) is typical of an elementary school still in its infancy. As the school continues to add grades, families enrolling now can expect their children to progress K-8 at a single campus rather than transitioning to a separate middle school after fifth grade, a shift from the traditional Wake County district pathway.

Raleigh itself is in a major growth phase, with downtown and midtown areas experiencing heavy mixed-use development, substantial tech and healthcare employment through employers like WakeMed, NC State University, IBM, and nearby Research Triangle Park companies, and a broadening housing market. The neighborhood around the school reflects this broader expansion into northeast Raleigh. Median home values in the school's zip code are near state benchmark levels, and rents remain modest. The city as a whole is car-dependent outside downtown's walkable core, though greenways are expanding.

The school's charter status means it operates independently from Wake County Public Schools with its own governance, though it is public and tuition-free. Enrollment and special-population data on students with IEPs and English learners were not available from state sources, so a parent seeking information on services for students with disabilities or language support should inquire directly with the school. The school's stated STEAM focus aligns with the Doral Academy of Technology model replicated from Miami, though specific course or program details were not available in public data.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grades 3-875%

School 75% · district not reported

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

English language arts

Grades 3-876%

School 76% · district not reported

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Science

Grades 3-843%

School 43% · district not reported

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income68%Higher-income75%7 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income94%Higher-income88%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income47%Higher-income70%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income57%Higher-income89%32 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income66%Higher-income80%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income68%Higher-income80%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income94%Higher-income88%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income57%20 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income71%Higher-income89%18 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income66%Higher-income79%13 pp gap