Lake Norman Charter, 12435 Old Statesville Road: a K-12 public charter, 2,211 students in 2024-25 and an A (85) in the 2025-26 state grades.

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, its apply page, staff directory, about page, athletics page and calendar; the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data, 2025-26 school assessment workbook and 2024-25 report card data; the NCHSAA’s 2025-29 realignment; the federal NCES school directory; and the U.S. Census Bureau’s geocoder.

Lake Norman Charter (LNC) is a tuition-free public charter school for kindergarten through 12th grade in Huntersville. It is not part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: it has its own board, no attendance zone and admits students by lottery. Its main address, 12435 Old Statesville Road, is inside the town limits, according to the Census Bureau’s geocoder.

Who to call
Address 12435 Old Statesville Road, Huntersville, NC 28078
Phone 704-948-8600
Grades Kindergarten to 12
Operator Public charter school (its own board)
State school code 60D000

Campuses

The school lists four schools on three campuses, all in Huntersville, on its apply page:

School Grades Address Students (school’s figure) Hours
Elementary School East K-4 10019 Hambright Road 610 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Elementary School West K-4 8772 McIlwaine Road 375 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Middle School 5-8 12435 Old Statesville Road 800 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
High School 9-12 12701 Old Statesville Road 800 7:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

The school says it opened in August 1998 for grades 5 to 7, added a high school in 2007 and graduated its first seniors in June 2011. The elementary school, now the East campus, opened in 2017, and the West campus opened in 2026, according to its about page. LNC describes itself as a carpool school and a bring-your-own-lunch school.

Leadership

Superintendent Shannon Stein leads the school, according to its staff directory, which also lists Mark Maleck as high school principal, Nicholas Carlascio as middle school principal, Michelle Holland as Elementary School East principal and Melanie Latza as Elementary School West principal.

Enrollment and teachers

  • State count: an average daily membership of 2,211 students in the 2024-25 school year, up from 2,206 in 2023-24, according to the state’s report card data.
  • Federal count: 2,212 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 126 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 18 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 K-12 school, achievement counts the end-of-grade and end-of-course tests, the ACT, NC Math 3 and the four-year graduation rate.

School year Grade and score Growth
2025-26 A (85) Met
2024-25 A (88) Exceeded

From the state’s 2025-26 school assessment workbook:

  • At grade level or above, all state tests: 86.8% (statewide, all tests: 59.2%)
  • College and career ready (Level 4 and above): 69.1%
  • Reading, grades 3 to 8: 81.8% at grade level or above; math: 90.0%; science: 91.4%
  • ACT composite of 17 or higher (11th graders): 92.8%
  • Four-year graduation rate: above 95% (the state does not publish an exact figure above 95%)

The full report card, with class sizes, teacher data and school safety figures, is on the state’s NC School Report Cards site under state school code 60D000. The school links its report cards from its own NC School Report Cards page.

Admission

As a public charter school, LNC fills every open seat by lottery, the school’s apply page says:

  • Application window: opens at 12:00:01 a.m. on Nov. 1 and closes at 11:59:59 p.m. on Jan. 31, online.
  • Lottery for 2027-28: Thursday, Feb. 11, 2027, at 4 p.m.
  • Who can apply: full-time North Carolina residents at the time of the lottery.
  • Priority: siblings of currently enrolled students.
  • Late applications: paper applications after Jan. 31 go to the end of the grade’s waitlist in the order received. Waitlisted seats are filled through the 20th day of school, and no new students are taken after that.

The 2026-27 lottery is closed and the school says it is not taking new students this year.

Calendar and bell times

LNC sets its own calendar, posted on its calendar page; it does not follow the CMS calendar. The next days off for students are:

  • Friday, Oct. 16: no school for students (teacher workday)
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: school holiday
  • Tuesday, Nov. 24: remote learning, 7:45 a.m. to noon
  • Nov. 25-27: school holiday for Thanksgiving

School hours by campus are in the table above.

Sports and activities

Lake Norman Charter is a 4A school in the NCHSAA’s 2A/3A/4A Conference B for the 2025-29 alignment, according to the association’s realignment, alongside Bradford Prep, Christ the King, Community School of Davidson, Corvian Community, Langtree Charter, Lincoln Charter and Pine Lake Prep. The school’s athletics page calls its league the Catawba Shores Athletic Conference. The teams are the Knights, and the athletic director is Matt Schlegel.

High school teams listed on the athletics page:

  • Fall: cheerleading, cross country, football (JV and varsity), women’s golf, men’s soccer, women’s tennis, volleyball (JV and varsity)
  • Winter: men’s basketball (JV and varsity), women’s basketball, cheerleading, swimming and diving, indoor track (club)
  • Spring: baseball (JV and varsity), softball, men’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, women’s soccer, men’s tennis, track

Football, soccer and lacrosse play at Knights Field, 12435 Old Statesville Road; baseball at Huntersville Athletic Park and softball at North Mecklenburg Park, according to the school’s home playing locations page. Middle school teams start in sixth grade. Follow Friday nights on our Friday night football page and results on the scoreboard.

More

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Lake Norman Charter serve?

Kindergarten through 12th grade, on three campuses in Huntersville. It is a tuition-free public charter school, not part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

What is Lake Norman Charter’s school grade?

Lake Norman Charter earned an A, with a score of 85, in North Carolina’s 2025-26 School Performance Grades and met its growth target. In 2024-25 it earned an A (88).

How do I apply to Lake Norman Charter?

Through the school’s online lottery application, open Nov. 1 to Jan. 31. The lottery for 2027-28 is Thursday, Feb. 11, 2027, at 4 p.m. Siblings of current students get priority.

What time does Lake Norman Charter start?

The high school runs 7:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., the middle school 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and both elementary schools 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., according to the school.

What conference is Lake Norman Charter in?

Lake Norman Charter is a 4A school in the NCHSAA’s 2A/3A/4A Conference B for the 2025-29 alignment. Its teams are the Knights.