Aspire Trade High, 7125 Hambright Road: a public charter trade high school, grades 9-12, 249 students in 2024-25, a D (42) in 2025-26 state grades.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, its enrollment page, staff directory and 2026-27 calendar; the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data, 2025-26 school assessment workbook, 2025-26 low-performing school list, 2024-25 report card data and school directory; the NCHSAA’s 2025-29 realignment; the federal NCES school directory; and the U.S. Census Bureau’s geocoder.
Aspire Trade High School is a tuition-free public charter school for grades 9 to 12 at 7125 Hambright Road in west Huntersville, next to Hopewell High. It calls itself the Charlotte region’s first public trade high school. It is not part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: it has no attendance zone and admits students by lottery and enrollment request. The address is inside the town limits, according to the Census Bureau’s geocoder.
Who to call
- Main office: 980-399-7554, the number in the state’s school directory; 7125 Hambright Road
- School website: aspiretradehs.org
- Admission: the school’s enrollment page; Enrollment Advisor Ms. Lyall, s.lyall@aspiretradehs.org
- State record: the school’s NC School Report Card
| Address | 7125 Hambright Road, Huntersville, NC 28078 |
| Phone | 980-399-7554 |
| Grades | 9 to 12 |
| Operator | Public charter school (its own board) |
| State school code | 62N000 |
Head of school
LaFrieeda Busby is head of school, according to the school’s staff directory.
What the school teaches
Students choose one of 11 trade programs alongside the academic courses for the state’s Future-Ready Core diploma, according to the school’s website: automotive collision, carpentry and masonry, culinary, data science, digital media arts, electrical, HVAC, building automation and controls, medical, plumbing and welding. Its mission statement says it serves students from Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cabarrus and Iredell counties.
Enrollment and teachers
- State count: an average daily membership of 249 students in the 2024-25 school year, up from 184 in 2023-24, according to the state’s report card data.
- Federal count: 196 students in grades 9 and 10 in the 2023-24 school year, with 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 20 students per teacher.
State report card
North Carolina gives every public school, charter schools included, an A to F School Performance Grade. The grade is based 80% on student achievement and 20% on academic growth, according to the state’s 2025-26 annual testing report. For a high school, achievement counts end-of-course tests, the ACT or WorkKeys, NC Math 3 and the four-year graduation rate.
| School year | Grade and score | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | D (42) | Not met |
| 2024-25 | F (28) | Not met |
From the state’s 2025-26 school assessment workbook:
- At grade level or above, end-of-course tests: 27.1% (statewide, all tests: 59.2%)
- College and career ready (Level 4 and above): 7.9%
- ACT composite of 17 or higher (11th graders): 25.9%
- Four-year graduation rate: 60.9%
North Carolina defines a low-performing school as one with a D or F grade that did not exceed expected growth. Aspire is on the state’s 2025-26 low-performing school list, and on its list of continually low-performing charter schools, low-performing in each of 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.
The full report card is on the state’s NC School Report Cards site under state school code 62N000. The school also links it from its own website.
Admission
From the school’s enrollment page:
- 2026-27 lottery: complete, with results posted on the enrollment page.
- Seats now: the school is still taking enrollment requests for 2026-27 through Lotterease, with limited seats in ninth and 10th grade. Requests are reviewed in the order received.
- Before applying: the school asks families to consider that students work with heavy machinery in loud, industrial workspaces, and must have a record of appropriate behavior with no documented physical altercations. It says it is neither a college preparatory school nor an alternative school.
There is no tuition and no attendance zone.
Calendar and bell times
Aspire sets its own calendar, posted on the school’s 2026-27 calendar page; it does not follow the CMS calendar. Key dates from it:
- Friday, Oct. 23: end of the first quarter
- Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
- Friday, Dec. 18: teacher workday
- Dec. 21-Jan. 1: winter break; Monday, Jan. 4, is a teacher workday
- March 29-April 2: spring break
- Friday, June 4, 2027: last day of school; graduation is June 5
The school posts its 2026-27 bell schedule on its website.
Sports and activities
Aspire is not listed in the NCHSAA’s 2025-29 realignment, and its website lists no athletic teams. For Friday nights in Huntersville, see our Friday night football page and the scoreboard.
More
- The school’s own website
- Every public school in Huntersville, with zones and report cards
- Our Huntersville schools guide for the CMS calendar, enrollment and the school board
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Aspire Trade High serve?
Grades 9 to 12. It is a tuition-free public charter school focused on skilled trades, not part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
What is Aspire Trade High’s school grade?
Aspire Trade High earned a D, with a score of 42, in North Carolina’s 2025-26 School Performance Grades, up from an F (28) in 2024-25. The state lists it as a low-performing school.
How do I apply to Aspire Trade High?
The 2026-27 lottery is complete, but the school is still taking enrollment requests through its enrollment page, with limited seats in ninth and 10th grade, reviewed in the order received.
What trades does Aspire Trade High teach?
The school lists 11 programs: automotive collision, carpentry and masonry, culinary, data science, digital media arts, electrical, HVAC, building automation and controls, medical, plumbing and welding.
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