Charlotte Latin School


Charlotte Latin School is an independent, coeducational, non-sectarian day school located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1970 and serves about 1,500 students in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Independent Schools and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

History

The school was founded in 1970, during the period of school desegregation in the United States.
In his book on segregation academies, journalist David Nevin argued that, although Charlotte Latin was not founded in response to the desegregation of public schools, the school's early growth could be attributed to parents seeking to avoid racial integration.
Don Roberson, a leader of an anti-busing parents group, enrolled his children in Charlotte Latin, saying, "I've simply taken my children off the battlefield while I fight the battle."
In 1970, the IRS conducted an investigation into the tax exempt status of all newly established private schools that may have been founded in response to the desegregation of public schools. After investigating Charlotte Latin School, the IRS agreed to grant the school tax exempt status after the school published its non-discrimation policy in a local newspaper.

Academics

During the 1976-1977 school year, Charlotte Latin was awarded a charter to the Cum Laude Society, an organization that honors scholastic achievement at secondary institutions. Charlotte Latin is the youngest school in the United States to have received a Cum Laude Society charter.
Charlotte Latin has been recognized with the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award from the United States Department of Education on three different occassions. The Upper School was recognized in 1986-87, the Lower School in 1996-97 and the Lower School in 1999-2000.
Sponsored by the Dr. John C. Malone Family Foundation, the Malone Scholars program endows scholarships for highly capable students in grades 7 through 12 based on merit and financial need. Charlotte Latin is one of fifty Malone Scholars schools in the country, which are selected by the Malone Family Foundation for their: "academic caliber; the quality of their staff; excellent accommodations for gifted and talented students; strong AP/IB and enrichment programs; attention to the individual student's needs, interests, and talents; financial strength and stability; a commitment to financial aid; and an economically, culturally, ethically, and socially diverse population."

Athletics

Sports at Charlotte Latin School are available to all students in 7th to 12th grades. The athletics program supports 60 teams across the middle school, junior varsity and varsity levels, 23 of which are varsity sports. Historically, approximatley 90% of the student body participates in at least one school sanctioned sport between 7th and 12th grades.
The school competes in the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association. Locally, teams compete in the Charlotte Independent School Athletic Association and Greater Charlotte Middle School Athletic Association.
The NCISAA Wells Fargo Cup is awarded annually to the independent North Carolina school with the best overall interscholatic sports programs. The competition includes all varsity sports for the school year, with points awarded to the schools that finish in the top eight of each state championship tournament. Charlotte Latin won its first Wells Fargo Cup in 1984 and has won the award a total of 17 times, most recently in 2019.

Campus & Facilities

Charlotte Latin's campus occupies 128 contiguous acres in suburban Charlotte, North Carolina. The lower, middle, and upper schools are all contained on a single campus and share many common facilities. Structures of note include: