Stories

Charlotte Prep has an exceptional reputation for graduating highly capable, dynamic, inquisitive young men and women, and high schools universally praise our alumni already attending their schools as well as the current students they meet at our fairs and other events. 

This fall, Prep hosted two high school fairs, giving our middle school students the opportunity to meet admissions representatives and prepare for the next chapter in their education. Over 25 boarding schools attended our September fair, and our November fair included all of Charlotte’s local day schools and several additional boarding schools who all eagerly met our soon-to-be Prep graduates and their parents. Following the fairs, I consistently heard that our students impressed admissions representatives with their poise, self-assuredness, and thoughtful demeanors, reflecting how the Charlotte Prep experience has enabled them to build and refine these skills (and so many others!) in a caring, child-centered environment. 

After graduating from a K-12 independent school, I spent much of my career as a high school teacher and administrator in similar institutions. While I enjoyed teaching all my students, I observed that many of my most engaged, high-achieving 9th graders had graduated from PreK-8 schools. At the time, I considered this merely an interesting coincidence rather than something worthy of deeper reflection. Now that I have been a part of communities where middle school is the culminating experience, I recognize there is more to the picture.

As I work alongside our 8th-grade parents this year, I am continually impressed by how they credit Charlotte Prep for helping their children become confident, discerning, and joyful learners. Rather than being a stressful time, the process of looking at high schools becomes more about the excitement of seeing their child take ownership of their learning journey. We are proud of our students’ ability to self-reflect, assess who they are as learners and individuals, and actively engage in the process of selecting a high school that is the right ‘fit’ for them. They are ready for this challenge!

Learn more about the high school admissions process at Prep.