Carolina International School

will not return next year unless the current principal is replaced.

Very poorly run since the new principal came on board during the 2010-11 school year.  The Board of Directors has not addressed serious parent concerns about the principal and most parents seemingly have given up trying to get help from them.  The Board is more concerned about building a new school, and while this is important, it should not come at the cost of the student's educational and emotional well-being.  There is no accountability for the principal's questionable decisions or integrity. The teaching staff is lacking direction and needs mentoring but has no where to turn for it. Please do your research before considering this school. We're hopeful to get into another charter but will even go to CMS as even this would be a better situation.

We're pulling our child out....horrible leadership.

Happy Parent: i give the school 5 stars - happy parent

The new principal has taken on the reins to make this school better. Emphasis on technology and conservation enables my kids to do whats right for the home and the world. They do keep pushing the gifted children but don't overly tax the parents to do the projects which is good.  I am very happy with what my daughters are learning. The teachers work late nights to send out information regarding my child's progress. I don't think the teachers here view it as a job to teach. They are very passionate about what they do. Hopefully this remains for a long time and is the culture they promote to new teachers as well.

Cathie Elliott: The school has made an offer on 80+ acres at corner of Poplar Tent &Cox Mill.  Cannot wait till we start building

I have (2) kids at CIS one in 1st grade and one in 3rd.  Great school!  Glad to see this year the push into technology.  Didn't really have the money for the 3rd grader too have a laptop, but it's a must have skill these days.  The sooner they can learn the basics the better.  Having them learn Chinese and Spanish along with the core subjects is one of my favorite things about the school.  They hold the students to a higher standard than the regular grade school down the street.

My son started CIS in 1st grade and just completed 6th grade there.  He was reading Harry Potter books in kindergarten and the standard public schools did not know what to do with him and this is why we joined the lottery for CIS and thankfully made it into the school.  We have been extremely pleased with his educational experience.  At CIS, he has had schoolmates that are his academic peers.  He has always been challenged there and has been encouraged by his teachers and schoolmates to rise to that challenge. We are considering moving to a local private school for later grades due to sports programs and lab facilities and have recently had him take the Independent School Entrance Exam where he scored in the 99th percentile in Math and 95th in Verbal Comprehension.  With the results of this test came a letter explaining that children who might normally score in the 99th percentile on state standardized tests could only score in the 50th percentile due to the caliber of students taking this exam.  This affirmation of the quality education available at CIS makes it difficult to consider leaving the school.

suzanne: Although Carolina International School has had it's share of challenges, the teachers have remained top notch.  This school does not teach to the test but rather to the children!  Almost every year we have achieved top ranking by the state based on eog scores, check it out for yourself.  I love the environmental and international focus including, recycling, composting, zero waste lunch challenges, Chinese and Spanish (plus music and art).  Our children are outside a lot and enjoy learning in the fresh air.  My daughter has made some really good friends during her 3 years at this school.  

My child has been enrolled in this school since Kindergarten.  He has a mild case of ADHD and although academically he has done very well, he has had his share of challenges because of his problems with being impulsive/lack of self control.  Never in his history of being there has his teachers nor administration come up with anything to help him.  It has gotten to the point where my child is being affected emotionally because of being singled out as a problem instead of being given a plan to help him succeed.  I am very disappointed with this school and would not recommend it to anyone.

The kids are taught no personal responsibility. Kids are able to test and retest over an over in fear of the kids getting bad grades. Its truly sad. A child we know was selected for honors classes even though his gpa is below a 2.5

S.K.: My children attended this school last year during the whole school embezzlement mess that almost resulted in the  Carolina International School closing.  Many students left and almost half of the staff left because of poor management and poor administration support.  After all was said and done, I was thankful for the school year to be over.  I would never recommend that charter school to anyone.   I saw first hand how many of the parents were hostile and hateful and did not support the teachers who had to left CIS in order to do what was best for their families.  I am thankful to have  my family out of that situation.