Dear Families and Community Members,
I am writing to share an important update regarding the proposed classical charter school in Moore County that Ascent Classical Academies has been working to launch in partnership with local community leaders.
First and foremost, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the many parents, educators, and community members who have supported this effort. We are also deeply thankful to the members of the Moore County steering committee who have invested significant time and energy over the past two years in pursuit of a high-quality classical education option for students in the region. It has been an honor to work alongside so many committed individuals who care deeply about the future of Moore County.
As part of our effort to open a school in Fall 2026, we prepared and submitted a fast-track charter application to the North Carolina Office of Charter Schools. Under the fast-track process, an applicant must demonstrate that a suitable facility has been secured. At the time our application was submitted, we had multiple facility projects in active progress and had a good-faith commitment to finalize a parcel of land.
However, despite our best efforts, none of the facility pathways we were pursuing were able to reach the level of completion required by the time of our hearing before the North Carolina Charter School Review Board (CSRB) in September. At that hearing, the CSRB determined that our application did not qualify for the fast-track process and, rather than moving forward under the standard-track timeline as we requested, the Board voted to reject the application.
Since the September hearing, we have sought counsel from experienced leaders and developers in the charter school sector and have worked to evaluate what it would take to pursue a new application during the next cycle. The reality is that, at this time, there are no existing facilities suitable for launching a school without significant renovation, and building a new facility from the ground up requires a level of financial support that is exceptionally difficult to secure in the current market – particularly for a rural area.
After careful evaluation, Ascent Classical Academies does not currently see a viable path forward to opening a classical charter school in Moore County. While it is always disappointing to pause a project that has generated so much interest and enthusiasm, this conclusion reflects the challenges of facilities and financing – not a lack of belief in the value of classical education, or the strength of support we have seen from families.
We remain open to revisiting this project in the future if the conditions necessary to responsibly launch a school change, and we continue to be committed to the mission of providing a rigorous classical education that forms strong students and strong communities.
To avoid confusion moving forward, Ascent will be removing the web presence and public-facing materials related to the proposed Moore County school. This step is simply intended to provide clarity, given that we will not be pursuing a new application at this time. We invite you to stay connected with our efforts to bring an Ascent Classical Academy to North Carolina by visiting https://northcarolina.ascentclassical.org.
Thank you again for your encouragement, involvement, and support.
With gratitude,
Derec Shuler
Founder and Executive Director
Ascent Classical Academies