Frequent Asked Questions

The State Board of Education approved Wake Preparatory Academy on July 11, 2019. We will be providing beautiful, new classrooms fully equipped to help our students receive the education they deserve. We will also have state-of-the-art sports fields. 

• Speaking of sports, WPA will offer a full range of sports and extracurricular activities.
• While charter schools are not required to provide transportation to and from school, WPA wants to remove as many barriers to our great school as possible. Therefore, we are committed to providing buses that service two to three “WPA Bus Stops” in public locations. These spots will be selected based on their proximity to a majority of students who have a need for transportation services.
• WPA will also offer a free and/or reduced lunch to qualifying students, ensuring that hunger won’t be a barrier to education at our school.
• WPA will have a certified nurse on campus to assist our students with their medications, illnesses, and health and wellness checks.
• We create a moral and wholesome environment evident not only in our classrooms, but also anywhere on our campus. Because our proprietary RAISE (Respect, Accountability, Integrity, Service, and Excellence) curriculum is integrated into our lessons at all grades, students learn in a distraction free environment and take those lessons with them when they leave WPA’s grounds

Yes! Wake Preparatory Academy was approved on July 11, 2019. Now that the State Board of Education has approved WPA, it has become a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which required that its officers, directors, or any other private individuals receive no unfair earnings. Additionally, a non-profit organization can not be owned by any individual. WPA is proud of the fact that its unpaid Board of Directors is independent and extremely qualified. WPA exists for the purpose of providing a challenging, individualized education program with a moral focus while preparing its students to graduate from high school with paths to acceptance and success in college, a career and beyond.

Any student who is eligible to attend a public school in NC is able to apply at WPA. If we receive more applications than seats available, we will hold a lottery to fill the spots in the most equitable manner. Our lottery will be “weighted,” meaning that we reserve a certain percentage of spots to make sure that WPA accurately represents the demographics of the neighborhoods it serves. 

WPA is run by an independent board comprised of Wake & Franklin County residents with areas of expertise in education, finance, non-profit organization, real estate, and business development. To help WPA achieve its goals, WPA contracts with the EMO, Charter One, LLC for administrative and support services.

Charter One is accountable to the WPA Board who, in turn, is accountable to the State of North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and the North Carolina Office of Charter Schools for the performance and operations of WPA.

An Education Management Organization (EMO) is an entity that contracts with a charter school to provide administrative and support services to the school. These organizations often provide back-office functions so that Charters can take advantage of economies of scale. EMOs offer a wide range of support services including HR, Marketing, IT, Professional Development and Training, Curriculum Development, Transportation, Food Services, etc., and can play an important role in the scalability of a Charter by enabling the replication of models that work, creating economies of scale, and building support structures for schools they serve. 

The WPA Board selected Charter One after vetting several other potential EMOs. The WPA Board felt that Charter One’s services were aligned with WPA’s mission and vision. They also felt that Charter One’s experience and success operating K-12 model campuses is unparalleled. 

Charter One is a team of highly skilled individuals with expertise in the operation of charter schools. Charter One provides support and administrative services in the areas of Human Resources, Computer Information Systems, Finance & Accounting, Student Information Systems, Professional Development & Training, Marketing, Transportation, and more. WPA pays Charter One an Administrative Service Fee (ASF) for services provided. 

WAITLISTS - According to nearby charter schools, there are approximately 8,000 - 10,000 students on charter school waitlists in North Wake County.

• According to WCPSS Student Assignment webpage:
  • 21 Capped Schools in Wake County:
    • “Capped Elementary Schools: Baileywick, Cedar Fork, Combs, Fuquay-Varina, Harris Creek, Highcroft Drive, Holly Grove, Hortons Creek, Mills Park, Oakview, Olive Chapel, Rogers Lane, Scotts Ridge, Sycamore Creek, Vance, Weatherstone, Willow Springs, Yates Mill
    • Capped Middle Schools: Mills Park
    • Capped High Schools: Heritage, Panther Creek
• According to the WCPSS 2019 Facilities Utilization Report:
  • 126 schools are above 100% overcrowding of their facility (not including trailers).
  • 87 schools are above 100% overcrowding of their facility (including trailers).

You may apply for admittance through WPA’s website during the open enrollment period. At the close of the open enrollment period, a lottery will be held to determine students’ acceptance and enrollment into the school. Applications will still be accepted after the open enrollment period has ended and be put on a waitlist

Yes. WPA partners with Innovation Learning to provide before and after school care. Registration and tuition information is forthcoming.

WPA Polo shirts are available on campus and on our online apparel shop.

Apparel shop

WPA will not notify schools of students' transfer to WPA. Parents should call/visit their child's current school to inform them that they will be transferring.

Yes. We have a K-6 cafeteria and a 7-12 cafeteria.

No. WPA is not an allergy-free or nut-free school. Food allergies must be reported to the front office. Students with severe allergies should complete an allergy action plan, which is available at the Health Office.

This depends on grade level and the elective offered. For example, lower grades will be smaller than upper grades. Honors/AP courses will have smaller class sizes, while PE, Music, etc. would have larger class sizes. With all that being said, we anticipate the teacher/student ratio to be approximately 25-28 students per class.

All students will have access to a Chromebook at school, when needed. Chromebooks will stay on campus and will not be sent home for daily use. The use of Chromebooks in the classroom is limited to benchmark and state testing, and specific classroom assignments. Most classwork, homework, and activities will be completed by hand.

WPA's Academically Gifted program begins in 2nd grade. Students are identified for the program through a referral process and by taking the CogAT. Students may be referred for testing once per year and testing will take place in the fall and spring of each school year.

Students who qualify for the program will participate in a Gifted class two days per week with a Gifted Teacher for approximately 40 minutes. In this class, students will engage in projects that are designed to further develop and apply their understanding of grade level content.

Our primary focus is on highly effective Tier 1 instruction, which reduces the need to rely on intervention programs. However, additional support, when needed, will be provided to students by the classroom teacher in a variety of ways including adjusting instruction and reteaching, small group instruction, and tutoring. Additionally, Exceptional Student Services will be available for those students who qualify.

No.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes. 

In grades K-3, students will have a 15-minute morning recess, 15-minute lunch, 15-minute lunch recess, and 15-minute afternoon recess. In grades 4-6, students will have either a 15-minute morning or afternoon recess, a 15-minute lunch, and a 15-minute lunch recess.

School communication will typically be sent to families through PowerSchool, by email, and/or by phone.

Yes. This will include the Beginning-of-Grade 3, Grade 3 Read to Achieve (RTA), and EOCs, and EOGs.

At a minimum, 50% of WPA teachers will be certified.

Yes. Teachers will connect with families regarding opportunities to volunteer in the classroom. Campus Directors will also communicate volunteer opportunities for school-wide events.

Transportation will be available. Bus stop locations will be determined by where most of our students requesting bus transportation live.

At this time, WPA does not provide Drivers Education