JK/K priority deadline — two weeks ahead of everyone else
Jan 15, 2027
Grades 1–11 priority deadline
$100
application fee — non-refundable, every grade
Grade-by-Grade Application Guide — JK/K · 1–5 · 6–11Pick your child's entry point and the guide personalizes: the six published steps in order, the 2027–28 deadlines, and the screening for that band — plus a printable checklist to take with you. One spine for every applicant, but the deadline breaks at Kindergarten→1 while the test changes twice inside Grades 1–5.
One online application. Everything runs through the school's FACTS/RenWeb portal: inquire, apply, pay the $100 fee, and give the email addresses that send the recommendation forms and request your child's transcript — all from the one form.
The dates are for priority, and admissions roll after them. Covenant Day maintains rolling admissions, but Jan 2 for JK/K and Jan 15 for grades 1–11 are what secure a first-round decision. A later application is still considered if space allows — and until priority decisions are complete on April 9, the school will not conduct on-campus testing, shadow visits or parent interviews for it.
One shared spine in every band — arrange a visit → submit the online application with the $100 fee → complete the admissions screening → have the recommendation forms sent → meet the school at the parent interview and an on-campus visit → receive the decision and return the contract. What changes is which screening instrument your child sits, what the on-campus visit looks like, whether the student is interviewed, and which calendar you are on.
Jan 2, 2027
application + $100 fee due
Feb 1, 2027
supporting documents + CAIS testing due
Feb 26, 2027
priority decision emailed — 4 p.m.
Mar 5, 2027
enrollment contract due — noon
1
Arrange a visitFall 2026
Applications and tours open September 8, 2026. The school also runs two Come See Covenant open events — October 29, 2026 for JK–5 and November 12, 2026 for JK–11. Neither event's time is published on the Key Dates list; schedule a personal campus visit through the admissions page if the dates do not work.
2
Submit the application + $100 feeby Jan 2
Two weeks earlier than every other grade, and the whole JK/K calendar runs ahead with it. The fee is non-refundable and is charged per application. Age guidance is published: a child should be four years old by March 1, 2027 to apply for JK, and five years old by June 1, 2027 to apply for kindergarten. Placement between the two is the Admissions Office's decision, weighing the birthday alongside an individual assessment of developmental readiness — social, emotional, physical and academic.
3
Book the WPPSi screeningby Feb 1
JK and Kindergarten applicants sit the Weschler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSi) — the school's own spelling — administered by a qualified psychologist. You schedule this yourself, directly with the psychologist; the school does not arrange it, and the fee is paid to the psychologist rather than to Covenant Day. Book early: it shares the February 1, 2027 deadline with your supporting documents.
4
Have the recommendation forms sentby Feb 1
Two are required at this band: a preschool teacher recommendation and a pastor's recommendation — the pastor's form is required at every grade from JK through 11. Both are completed online, so the accurate email addresses you enter in the application are what trigger them. If you give a registrar's email to request records, note that the release is broad: it covers the complete transcript, IQ and achievement test scores, any psychological evaluations, behavior and attendance records, and health records.
5
The parent interview and the Little Lions Assessmentafter applying
The admissions office sends a link to schedule your interview with the Admissions Director. An essential component for admission is the requirement that one or both parents be professing Christians, evidenced by their confession of faith in Jesus Christ alone as Savior; the interview verifies that testimony and confirms agreement with the school's statement of faith. Your child's visit is the Little Lions Assessment, taken with a small group of other JK/K applicants — there is no student interview at this age.
6
Decision → contractFeb 26 → Mar 5
Priority decisions are emailed on February 26, 2027 at 4:00 p.m. — six weeks ahead of the Grades 1–11 track — and the signed contract is due March 5, 2027 by noon. Enrollment carries a $1,000 non-refundable deposit per student, applied toward the year's tuition.
Running in parallel: the financial-aid clock
Aid is need-based and runs through FACTS, with a new application required each year. There is a precondition unique among the Charlotte schools: families must first provide proof of application for the NC Opportunity Scholarship to be eligible for aid from Covenant Day. File the aid application concurrently with the admissions application rather than after a decision. Enrollment carries a $1,000 non-refundable deposit per student, applied toward tuition; the FACTS application fee and any reduced deposit for aid applicants are not published.
Shadow morning, lunch with peers, admissions meeting
Student interview
No
No
Yes — the first band where the student is interviewed
Recommendation forms
Preschool teacher + pastor
Lower school teacher + pastor
Math + English + principal/counselor + pastor
Supporting documents due
Feb 1, 2027 — with the CAIS testing
Feb 26, 2027
Feb 26, 2027 — all testing submitted by this date
Band-only requirement
Four by Mar 1, 2027 for JK; five by Jun 1, 2027 for K
The instrument changes twice inside the band
Grade 6 adds a math and English assessment to the shadow day
Priority decision emailed
Feb 26, 2027, 4:00 p.m.
Apr 9, 2027, 4:00 p.m.
Apr 9, 2027, 4:00 p.m.
Contract due
Mar 5, 2027, noon
Apr 16, 2027, noon
Apr 16, 2027, noon
Constant in every band
A $100 non-refundable application fee · the FACTS/RenWeb online application · a parent interview with the Admissions Director, at which one or both parents must be professing Christians · a pastor’s recommendation · a $1,000 non-refundable enrollment deposit at contract · rolling admissions after the priority dates, with no on-campus testing, shadow visit or parent interview for a non-priority applicant unless space remains after April 9
GRADES 9 – 12High School Courses90 course entries across 9 departments — 17 Advanced Placement, a named Bible course for each of the four years, and a Restoration & Sustainability department no other school here runs.
All departments90 courses — scroll for full list
Language & LiteratureCPEnglish
The entry course of the four-year English sequence.
Language & Literature HonorsHonorsEnglish
The honors track of the entry course.
American LiteratureCPEnglish
The American-literature year of the sequence.
American Literature HonorsHonorsEnglish
Honors American literature.
Composition & LiteratureCPEnglish
Composition-focused year of the sequence.
Composition & Literature HonorsHonorsEnglish
Honors composition and literature.
British LiteratureCPEnglish
The British-literature capstone of the CP track.
Literature & Philosophy HonorsHonorsEnglish
The honors capstone — available for dual enrollment with Covenant College.
AP English Language & CompositionAPEnglish
College-level rhetoric and argument; the exam is required.
AP English Literature & CompositionAPEnglish
College-level literary analysis; the exam is required.
Algebra 1CPMathematics
The entry course of the math sequence.
GeometryCPMathematics
Euclidean geometry in the CP track.
Geometry HonorsHonorsMathematics
The honors geometry year.
Algebra 2CPMathematics
Second-year algebra.
Algebra 2 HonorsHonorsMathematics
Honors second-year algebra.
Liberal Arts MathCPMathematics
The alternative senior-year math for students not continuing to pre-calculus.
Pre-CalculusCPMathematics
Functions and trigonometry before calculus.
Pre-Calculus HonorsHonorsMathematics
The honors pre-calculus year.
Calculus HonorsHonorsMathematics
Honors calculus — available for dual enrollment with Covenant College.
StatisticsCPMathematics
Introductory statistics.
Statistics HonorsHonorsMathematics
Honors statistics — available for dual enrollment with Covenant College.
AP Calculus ABAPMathematics
College-level differential and integral calculus.
AP Calculus BCAPMathematics
The faster calculus track, through series; the school notes this offering may be impacted by student enrollment.
AP StatisticsAPMathematics
College-level statistics.
BiologyCPScience
The entry lab science.
Biology HonorsHonorsScience
Honors biology.
ChemistryCPScience
Second lab science of the sequence.
Chemistry HonorsHonorsScience
Honors chemistry.
Anatomy & Physiology HonorsHonorsScience
Honors anatomy and physiology.
HealthCPScience
The half-unit health requirement.
Sports & Exercise ScienceCPScience
Applied exercise science.
Sports & Exercise Science HonorsHonorsScience
The honors track of exercise science.
AP BiologyAPScience
College-level biology.
AP ChemistryAPScience
College-level chemistry.
AP Environmental ScienceAPScience
College-level environmental science.
AP PhysicsAPScience
College-level physics.
World HistoryCPSocial Studies
The entry history course.
World History HonorsHonorsSocial Studies
Honors world history.
U.S. HistoryCPSocial Studies
The American-history year.
U.S. History HonorsHonorsSocial Studies
Honors U.S. history.
Government and EconomicsCPSocial Studies
The civics-and-economics capstone.
Government and Economics HonorsHonorsSocial Studies
The honors capstone.
Psychology HonorsHonorsSocial Studies
Honors psychology.
AP U.S. HistoryAPSocial Studies
College-level American history.
AP U.S. Government & PoliticsAPSocial Studies
College-level U.S. government and politics.
AP European HistoryAPSocial Studies
College-level European history.
AP PsychologyAPSocial Studies
College-level psychology.
Old Testament Survey9th GradeBible
The freshman Bible course; students are enrolled in a Bible course every year, and three units are required to graduate.
New Testament Survey10th GradeBible
The sophomore Bible course, surveying the New Testament.
Christian Doctrine11th GradeBible
The junior Bible course, working through Christian doctrine systematically.
Engaging the Culture - An Introduction to Apologetics and Worldviews12th GradeBible
The senior Bible capstone in apologetics and competing worldviews.
Spanish 1CPWorld Language
First-year Spanish.
Spanish 2CPWorld Language
Second-year Spanish.
Spanish 3 HonorsHonorsWorld Language
Third-year Spanish at honors level.
Spanish 4 HonorsHonorsWorld Language
Fourth-year Spanish at honors level.
AP Spanish LanguageAPWorld Language
College-level Spanish language.
French 1CPWorld Language
First-year French.
French 2CPWorld Language
Second-year French.
French 3 HonorsHonorsWorld Language
Third-year French at honors level.
French 4 HonorsHonorsWorld Language
Fourth-year French at honors level.
AP FrenchAPWorld Language
College-level French; the school notes this offering may be impacted by student enrollment.
Latin 2CPWorld Language
Second-year Latin (the sequence starts in middle school).
Latin 3 HonorsHonorsWorld Language
Third-year Latin at honors level.
Latin 4 HonorsHonorsWorld Language
Fourth-year Latin at honors level.
AP Latin: Caesar and VergilAPWorld Language
College-level Latin, on the Caesar and Vergil syllabus.
ChoirCPFine Arts
The high school choral ensemble as a credit course.
Choir HonorsHonorsFine Arts
The honors choral track.
Symphonic BandCPFine Arts
The concert band as a credit course.
Symphonic Band HonorsHonorsFine Arts
The honors band track.
TheatreCPFine Arts
The theatre performance course.
Theatre TechCPFine Arts
Technical theatre — sets, lighting, production.
Auditioned Theatre HonorsHonorsFine Arts
The audition-entry honors company, with Performance or Technical tracks.
Worship LeadershipCPFine Arts
Credit-bearing worship-arts leadership.
Intro to ArtCPFine Arts
The entry visual-arts course.
Art 2D/3DCPFine Arts
Second-level studio art in 2D and 3D tracks.
CeramicsCPFine Arts
Studio ceramics.
Digital PhotographyCPFine Arts
Digital photography.
Graphic DesignCPFine Arts
Design coursework.
YearbookCPFine Arts
Producing the school yearbook.
Yearbook HonorsHonorsFine Arts
Leadership roles on the yearbook staff.
Studio Art HonorsHonorsFine Arts
The pre-AP studio year.
AP Studio ArtAPFine Arts
The AP portfolio year, shown at the Art Talk exhibit.
Intro to EngineeringCPRestoration & Sustainability
The department’s engineering entry.
Restore525CPRestoration & Sustainability
The department’s service-build program as a credit course.
Individual Research ProjectCPOther
A self-directed research course taken for credit.
Strength & Fitness TrainingCPOther
The Webb Fitness Center course; a PE credit is also earnable via two school sport seasons.
Student AssistantCPOther
A credit-bearing assistantship supporting a department or office.
GRADES 6 – 8Middle School CoursesSeven subject areas per grade plus three named honors tracks and a seven-course elective slate — Latin from 6th grade, Applied English in 6th and 7th.
Covenant Day publishes per-grade subject areas and competencies for grades 6–8 rather than a full course catalog. The honors tracks and electives below are the school’s own named courses; the remaining rows carry each grade’s published subject description.
All departments32 courses — scroll for full list
Language ArtsGr 66th Grade
Reading deeply through synthesis and analysis of fiction and nonfiction; all students get extra Applied English time to build thesis statements as the foundation for strong essays.
MathGr 66th Grade
Reviews arithmetic and number sense — decimal and fraction operations — before ratios and percentages, integers, variables, equations and inequalities, 2D and 3D geometry, and statistics.
BibleGr 66th Grade
An Old Testament survey, building on events and themes in scripture to deepen understanding of what the Bible teaches about God, humanity and self.
ScienceGr 66th Grade
Life Science — cells, heredity, DNA, viruses, bacteria, protists and fungi, animals, human body systems, plants and dissection, with lab experiments and projects.
Social StudiesGr 66th Grade
US History Part 1 — the history and geography of the United States from the Jamestown Colony to the Civil War.
World LanguagesGr 66th Grade
Greek Mythology as the entry to Latin study in middle school; Spanish is offered as an elective.
Physical EducationGr 66th Grade
Game skills and strategies with personal fitness goals, emphasising life sports and healthy living.
Language ArtsGr 77th Grade
Persuasive, informative, narrative and research-based writing alongside complex texts, more advanced grammar, and Greek and Latin roots; all students get extra Applied English time.
English HonorsHonors7th Grade
Deeper literary analysis within a biblical worldview — multi-paragraph argumentative essays with thesis, textual evidence and commentary, plus expository writing and accelerated language conventions.
MathGr 77th Grade
Ratios and proportional relationships, unit conversions, integers across all operations, order of operations and expressions, equations and inequalities, geometry, statistics and probability.
Math Honors (Pre-Algebra)Honors7th Grade
Introduces algebra through equations and inequalities, exponent rules, linear relations and functions, radicals, angle relationships, angles and polygons, and unit conversions.
BibleGr 77th Grade
The Gospels, woven together to show the life of Christ and his fulfilment of Scripture, alongside how to study the Bible and build a habit of personal devotions.
ScienceGr 77th Grade
Earth science — geology, oceanography, meteorology and astronomy, with lab experiments and projects.
Social StudiesGr 77th Grade
The Reconstruction Era to the present day through a biblical lens, built on primary documents written by historical figures.
Latin IAGr 77th Grade
The first half of the middle school Latin sequence; Spanish is offered as an elective.
Physical EducationGr 77th Grade
Game skills and strategies with personal fitness goals; students in grades 7–8 may also compete on Covenant Day athletic teams.
Language ArtsGr 88th Grade
Informative, narrative and research writing culminating in a research paper, with complex texts, advanced grammar, and cross-discipline research assignments.
English HonorsHonors8th Grade
Rigorous literary analysis across major literary themes, history and culture, with formal and informal responses, analytical essays and creative pieces; syntax awareness and vocabulary expand throughout.
MathGr 88th Grade
Introduces algebra through equations and inequalities, exponent rules, linear relations and functions, radicals, angle relationships, angles and polygons, and unit conversions.
Math Honors (Algebra)Honors8th Grade
The real number system, expressions, linear and quadratic equations and their graphs, inequalities, systems of equations, polynomials, relations, functions, and radical and rational expressions.
BibleGr 88th Grade
Acts and the Pauline Epistles, with practical application and learning to share one’s faith.
ScienceGr 88th Grade
Physical science — motion and forces, energy and waves (sound, light and electricity), magnetism and chemistry, with lab experiments and projects.
Social StudiesGr 88th Grade
World History Part 1 — Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome through the Middle Ages, including major world religions and how they relate to Christianity.
Latin IBGr 88th Grade
Completes the middle school Latin sequence; Spanish is offered as an elective.
Physical EducationGr 88th Grade
Game skills and strategies with personal fitness goals; students may also compete on Covenant Day athletic teams.
CREATEGr 6–8Electives
One of seven electives; students choose two each year.
ArtGr 6–8Electives
One of seven electives; students choose two each year.
BandGr 6–8Electives
One of seven electives; students choose two each year.
SpanishGr 6–8Electives
Offered as an elective alongside the required Latin sequence.
DramaGr 6–8Electives
One of seven electives; students choose two each year.
ChoirGr 6–8Electives
One of seven electives; students choose two each year.
Broadcast JournalismGr 6–8Electives
One of seven electives; students choose two each year.
JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN – GRADE 5Lower School CoursesFive to six subject areas described for each of seven grades, plus six named Specials — CREATE Junior, Spanish from Junior Kindergarten, and recorder in 4th before band instruments in 5th.
Covenant Day publishes per-grade subject areas and competencies for JK–5 rather than a named-course catalog. The Specials below are the school’s own named courses; the per-grade rows condense that grade’s published competency description.
All departments41 courses — scroll for full list
Language ArtsJKJunior Kindergarten
Phonics through directionality, letter sounds, at least 10 digraphs, CVC sound blending and 5 common exception words; retelling and predicting in comprehension; and forming most lowercase and capital letters.
MathJKJunior Kindergarten
Positional relationships and 2D shapes, comparing length, weight and capacity; counting to 20 and backward from 10, number bonds to 5, doubles to 10, subitizing to 5; and repeating patterns, sorting, and comparing quantities to 10.
BibleJKJunior Kindergarten
God’s love through short memorized Scripture passages and key Bible characters, with weekly chapel and lower school Missions Week.
Science and Social StudiesJKJunior Kindergarten
Exploring the natural world — body parts, seasons, life cycles, plant growth and changing states of matter — alongside significant historical figures, past/present/future, other countries, and community helpers.
ArtJKJunior Kindergarten
Imaginative role-play and performing for an audience, with nursery rhymes and songs alongside a range of materials, tools and art techniques.
Language ArtsKKindergarten
Phonological awareness, short vowel words and sight-word recognition; story retelling, listening comprehension and verbal reasoning; handwriting, sentence structure and writing stories.
MathKKindergarten
Math talks with manipulatives — counting and skip counting to 100, number recognition and formation 0–20, place value to 20, geometry, patterns, sorting, measurement, combinations of 10, graphing, estimating and calendar.
BibleKKindergarten
Friendship with God and others through group projects, activity centers and classroom community, with weekly chapel, Missions Week, memorized Scripture and Bible characters.
ScienceKKindergarten
God’s strength in the oceans, creative patterns through the seasons, and animal life cycles.
Social StudiesKKindergarten
Explorers, pilgrims and Native Americans, famous artists and holidays, and world cultures and traditions as a way into empathy for others.
Language ArtsGr 1First Grade
Phonics and spelling through decoding and fluency; grammar covering parts of speech, capitalization and sentence types; comprehension from retelling to cause/effect and fact/opinion; and personal narrative, opinion and informational writing.
MathGr 1First Grade
Place value to 100 and numbers to 120, number bonds, addition and subtraction to 100, ordinal numbers, 2D and 3D shapes, mental math, customary length and weight, picture and bar graphs, money, calendar and time.
BibleGr 1First Grade
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Israel and the Promised Land, then Judges and Ruth, Samuel and Saul, David and Solomon, the divided kingdom, exile and return, Psalms and Proverbs.
ScienceGr 1First Grade
Seasonal patterns, plants, light and sound waves, animal behaviors and habitats.
Social StudiesGr 1First Grade
Safety, laws and responsible citizenship, with units on home, school and community, map skills, and past, present and future events.
Language ArtsGr 2Second Grade
Decoding and encoding short, long-vowel and multi-syllabic words; grammar through contractions and sentence types; comprehension including sequencing and verbal reasoning; and expanded narrative and informational writing in print and cursive.
MathGr 2Second Grade
Fact families to 20, mental math and estimation, place value to 1,000, 2- and 3-digit addition and subtraction, an introduction to fractions, multiplication and division, time, money, customary and metric measurement, and bar-model problem solving.
BibleGr 2Second Grade
An Old Testament review via the Jesse Tree and the intertestamental period, then the New Testament — Jesus’ birth, ministry, miracles, parables, crucifixion and resurrection — closing with the early church and Paul’s journeys.
ScienceGr 2Second Grade
The human body, life cycles, insects, oceanography, animal behaviors and interactions with matter.
Social StudiesGr 2Second Grade
Immigration, geography’s influence on communities, community helpers and resources, globes and map skills, holidays and world culture, plus how officials are elected and how history shapes a community’s heritage.
Language ArtsGr 3Third Grade
Spelling patterns, rules and syllable division; grammar across synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, prepositions and irregular verbs; comprehension through inference and author’s purpose; and simple, compound and four sentence types in composition.
MathGr 3Third Grade
Place value to 10,000, rounding, mental math and estimation, bar models for word problems, multiplication facts 0–12, 1- and 2-digit multiplication and division, fractions and decimals, angles and lines, area and perimeter, and measurement conversions.
BibleGr 3Third Grade
Creation, the fall, Noah, the Tower of Babel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, the Exodus, the ten commandments, the wilderness and the Promised Land, closing with a book study of Ephesians.
ScienceGr 3Third Grade
Forces and magnetism, the earth and the activity on it, plants, animals and fossils.
Social StudiesGr 3Third Grade
How events, individuals and ideas have shaped communities — especially Charlotte, NC — plus major landforms and their impact on people, industry and the economy, and the 13 American colonies.
Language ArtsGr 4Fourth Grade
Word analysis, fluency and vocabulary using glossaries, dictionaries and thesauruses; morphology and spelling rules with sentence parts and subject-verb agreement; comprehension through inference and author’s viewpoint; and writing for different purposes and audiences.
MathGr 4Fourth Grade
Multi-digit operations, common multiples and factors, mean, median, mode and range, fractions and decimals across all four operations, customary and metric measurement, perimeter and area, lines and angles, quadrilaterals, congruence and symmetry, and multi-step bar models.
BibleGr 4Fourth Grade
Philippians, Judges, Joshua, Kings Saul, David and Solomon, Ruth, Samuel, the divided kingdom, the feast of trumpets, the day of atonement, and the fruit of the spirit.
ScienceGr 4Fourth Grade
Energy, speed and moving objects, waves, the earth’s features, natural hazards, and structures and functions.
Social StudiesGr 4Fourth Grade
North Carolina — its regions, history and government, and the environmental and technological factors shaping the state’s growth.
Language ArtsGr 5Fifth Grade
Parts of speech, analogies, subjects and predicates, prepositional phrases and clauses; comprehension across fiction, fantasy, biography, historical fiction, non-fiction and poetry; and descriptive, narrative, expository and persuasive writing plus literary analysis.
MathGr 5Fifth Grade
Place value to 10,000,000, mental math and estimation, multi-digit multiplication and division, fractions, bar-graph problem-solving models, algebraic thinking, area and perimeter, ratios, decimals and percents, graphs, probability and types of angles.
BibleGr 5Fifth Grade
1 Peter, Old Testament covenants, Judah’s return, the writers of the Gospels, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hannukah, Passover, and Jesus’ birth, ministry, parables, death and resurrection.
ScienceGr 5Fifth Grade
Chemical and physical property change, gravity, energy, photosynthesis and plant decomposition, and earth systems.
Social StudiesGr 5Fifth Grade
World and state geography, ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome, Vikings, Medieval Europe, the Renaissance and Reformation, the Age of Exploration, and the Mayas, Incas and Aztecs.
ArtJK–Gr 5Specials
Skill, craftsmanship, beauty, clarity and balance practiced through painting, sketching, ceramics, printmaking, landscapes and portraits, shown at the annual spring Art Walk.
MusicJK–Gr 5Specials
Vocal, instrumental and percussion music across classical and modern composers; 4th grade learns recorder and 5th grade band instruments, with a children’s choir and private piano, vocal and guitar lessons available.
CREATE JuniorJK–Gr 5Specials
Integrates technology and critical thinking with each grade’s content areas through science, technology, math and engineering — the precursor to the Middle School’s CREATE.
SpanishJK–Gr 5Specials
Teaches the language alongside the culture, studying the holidays, geography and traditions of Spanish communities.
Physical EducationJK–Gr 5Specials
Weekly athletic skills and endurance work built on developmentally appropriate lessons, with the Turkey Trot and Field Day as highlights.
LibraryJK–Gr 5Specials
Finding books and developing research skills in print and online, with the Readers Are Leaders program encouraging reading for pleasure with a purpose.
Service & Civic EngagementA service ladder that scales with age — fourth graders at twenty community sites, middle schoolers twice a year, and high schoolers building housing for Pine Ridge.
A service ladder that scales with age — fourth graders at twenty community sites, middle schoolers twice a year, and high schoolers building housing for Pine Ridge. Program-based rather than hours-logged: no service-hour requirement exists, and the school publishes no annual totals.
~20
community sites · 4th grade
Goodness Gorillas
The Lower School signature: "fourth grade students head out into the community to serve at nearly twenty different sites" — a whole-grade deployment rather than an opt-in club.
High school students "use their different talents to transform used shipping containers" into housing for the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, aiming to provide housing for more than 30 teens — a multi-year design-and-trades build, with Restore525 as the Restoration & Sustainability department’s companion program (and a credit-bearing course).
Named partners: Matthews HELP Center, Matthews Habitat for Humanity, Operation Christmas Child, Brookstone Schools, Jackson Park, Alexander Children’s Home, and Love INC. Missions trips run to Spain, Haiti, Belize, and Pine Ridge, with a Lower School Missions Week of missionary speakers and cultural education.
Honor SocietiesSix documented societies — but only the two arts chapters are confirmed on the school’s own pages.
Six documented societies — but only the two arts chapters are confirmed on the school’s own pages. The school publishes no honor-society page: divisions, induction criteria and sponsors are unstated for every chapter.
Society
Division
What it recognizes
Feeds from
National Honor Society
Upper School*
Scholarship, service, leadership, character
Third-party roster only — not confirmed on a school page
National Art Honor Society
Upper School*
Visual-arts achievement
Third-party roster; the visual-arts program it would sit atop is school-documented
Spanish Honor Society
Upper School*
Spanish-language achievement
Third-party roster; Spanish runs 1–4 plus AP in the course matrix
International Thespian Society
High School
Theatre participation and achievement
School-confirmed — named on the theater page, atop the Blumey-winning program
Tri-M Music Honor Society
Secondary
Music achievement plus service
School-confirmed — named on the music page, atop the nine-ensemble program
Beta Club
Unstated*
Academic achievement and service (national organization)
Third-party roster only
Recognition that is not a society
Academic signaturesA required Senior Capstone Project and the McKnight Oratory speaking event sit outside the societies as the school’s named academic distinctions.
Mock TrialCourtroom artist Cornelia Knight (Covenant Day Blue) won her regional and finished 2025 state runner-up — the best-documented statewide result in this area.
Academic & Competitive ClubsA documented floor of a slate; Mock Trial carries the statewide result.
A documented floor of a slate; Mock Trial carries the statewide result.Open any row for the full research note and its source.
The school’s flagship competitive club, named on its own high-school page. NC Mock Trial Program records show a "Covenant Day School Blue" team — the suffix implies more than one — and Cornelia Knight of that team won the courtroom-artist regional in Hickory and finished 2025 State Champion Courtroom Artist runner-up.
First Lego League robotics at two levels plus a Sustainability Engineering club — the club expression of the school’s Restoration & Sustainability department. Competition results are not published.
Language & letters clubs →Latin (JCL) Club, French Club, Book Club, Beta ClubThird-party roster
Language clubs feed the Latin and French course sequences (both run to level 4 plus AP Latin). Chapter activity and event results are not published.
The required Senior Capstone Project and the McKnight Oratory speaking event are the school’s named academic signatures — curricular milestones rather than clubs, carried here because they are where academic competition lives at this school.
Club Catalog & OverviewA documented floor of Upper School clubs and honor societies — the school publishes no directory, so this is what public sources confirm.
A documented floor of Upper School clubs and honor societies — the school publishes no directory, so this is what public sources confirm.Filter by category to see the clubs in each area.
Middle & Lower SchoolJunior First Lego League, the MS Board Game Club, the CDS Children’s Choir (grades 3–5), Goodness Gorillas (the 4th-grade service program), and the Kanuga fifth-grade retreat.Documented
Beyond the club rosterThe third-party roster also lists paid enrichment (piano/guitar/voice lessons, painting), curricular ensembles (band, choir, theater, worship team), and boys volleyball — a club sport. Those are excluded from the count above. Restore525 runs as both a service program and a credit-bearing course.Filtered out
The TK–12 Arts LadderA JK–12 ladder with a worship-music spine: art integrated from junior kindergarten, sequential from grade 1, ensembles from grade 6.
A JK–12 ladder with a worship-music spine: art integrated from junior kindergarten, sequential from grade 1, ensembles from grade 6. One Fine Arts credit is required to graduate, and worship bands run at both middle and high school — a rung no other school here has.
JK–12
program span
9
named ensembles
3
ticketed productions a year
1 unit
Fine Arts graduation requirement
Lower School · JK–5
General Music JK–4, with art integrated in JK–K and sequential from grade 1Introduction to Choir and Band in grade 5CDS Children’s Choir, grades 3–5
Middle School · 6–8
MS Band, MS Choir, and MS Worship BandDrama for grades 6–8, feeding the October MS MusicalMusic in the Parks adjudications — Superior ratings three straight years (2021–23)
High School · 9–12
Symphonic Band, HS Choir, HS Worship Band, and HS A CappellaTheater I–II, Theatre Tech, and Honors Auditioned Theatre (Performance or Technical track)Visual path from Intro to Art through AP Studio Art; Worship Leadership as a credit course
The enrichment layer — beyond the classroom
SupportThe Covenant Arts Association funds and staffs all arts areas through four patron tiers ($100–$1,000), with early pre-sale access to the three annual productions.
Honor societiesTri-M Music Honor Society and an International Thespian Society chapter.
Stated missionArts are "a crucial part of the curriculum" built on four components: foundations, creative expression, historical and cultural relevance, and critical evaluation and response.
Theatre & the BlumeysTwo Blumey wins and eight recognitions between 2013 and 2019, plus a 2025 National Shakespeare Competition finalist.
Two Blumey wins and eight recognitions between 2013 and 2019, plus a 2025 National Shakespeare Competition finalist. Three ticketed productions a year in the 200-seat Lions Theater, with a Shakespeare competition of its own feeding the national one.
The season rhythm
October
MS Musical
A three-night run (e.g. October 15–17)
March
HS Musical
The Blumey-eligible production
April
Spring Drama
A straight play (April 25–27 on the current calendar)
Year-round
Showcases
MS and HS Theater Nights, the HS Shakespeare Competition, and NC Theatre Conference participation
Who runs it: Fine Arts Director Sherie-Beth Wilson, with the Covenant Arts Association staffing and pre-selling the three productions. Courses: MS Drama (6–8), Theater I–II, Theatre Tech, and Honors Auditioned Theatre with Performance or Technical tracks.
The Lions Theater seats 200, with LED lighting, a costume room and set storage — a black-box-scale house, which is why the Arts Association’s tiered pre-sale exists.
The awards ledger
Year
Show
Result
2013
Blumey Awards
WINWON Best Featured Performer
2014
Blumey Awards
Best Ensemble + Best Actress nominations
2016
Blumey Awards
WINWON the Student Critic Award
2017
Blumey Awards
Best Ensemble nomination
2018
Blumey Awards
Featured Performer + Supporting Actress nominations
2019
Curtains
Best Actress nomination (Evan Bertram as Georgia Hendricks)
2025
National Shakespeare Competition
WINCaroline Garbarino named Finalist
Honest context: The ledger goes quiet after 2019 at the Blumeys — the school’s own theater page carries no post-2019 Blumey entry — and production titles are not published, so *Curtains* is the one show recoverable by name. The Shakespeare finalist shows the pipeline is still producing.
Music & the Honors PipelineNine ensembles from grade 3 up — and the distinctive rung is worship: credit-bearing Worship Leadership plus worship bands in both divisions.
Nine ensembles from grade 3 up — and the distinctive rung is worship: credit-bearing Worship Leadership plus worship bands in both divisions. Adjudication record at Music in the Parks: Superior ratings for MS Choir three straight years, and a 2nd-place HS Band finish in 2025.
The ensemble board
Choral
CDS Children’s Choir (3–5)
MS Choir (6–8)
HS Choir
HS A Cappella
Instrumental
Intro to Band (gr. 5)
MS Band (6–8)
Symphonic Band
Worship
MS Worship Band
HS Worship Band
Worship Leadership (credit course)
Director: Zach Thompson, Worship and Choir Teacher. No orchestra or marching band — the instrumental program is concert/symphonic.
The honors ladder — how far it goes
012021–23 — MS Choir earned a Superior rating at Music in the Parks three consecutive years; MS Band took Excellent ratings and a 3rd placement.
022023 — HS Band earned an Excellent rating.
032025 — HS Band earned an Excellent rating and 2nd placement.
04Honor society — Tri-M Music Honor Society chapter for achievement plus service.
No NCMEA All-State or All-District honors appear on the music page — a confirmed absence. Performance venues run from Biltmore Estates to Christmas programs, sporting events and spring concerts.
Studio to GalleryA clean Intro-to-AP path with a public AP exhibit at the end of it — and seven Youth Art Month honorees in one year.
A clean Intro-to-AP path with a public AP exhibit at the end of it — and seven Youth Art Month honorees in one year. Art starts integrated in JK–K, turns sequential in grade 1, and tops out at AP Studio Art with its own show.
Studio media
Drawing & painting
Intro to Art through Studio Art
2D / 3D design
Art 2/3 splits into 2D and 3D tracks
Ceramics
Digital photography
Graphic design
Yearbook
CP and Honors — publication design as coursework
The course path
Intro to Art→Art 2/3 (2D & 3D)→Honors Studio Art→AP Studio Art· High School Art Teacher: Katie Spata. Placement into Honors and AP follows the school-wide gate of prior coursework, grades, and teacher feedback.
Where the work goes public
All-school
ArtWalk
the whole-school exhibit
Spring
Art Talk
the AP Art exhibit — portfolio presentations
Regional
Pineville Art Show · Mint Hill Arts Competition · Youth Art Month
7 YAM honorees in 2023
National
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
"multiple Scholastic Art Award winners"
Verdict & Visit ChecklistA real regional-award theatre program and a coherent JK–12 ladder, with worship arts as the identity — and a few things it does not offer.
A real regional-award theatre program and a coherent JK–12 ladder, with worship arts as the identity — and a few things it does not offer. Strong for a family that wants faith-integrated arts; thinner for one hunting orchestra, dance, or a large-hall music program.
Why it holds up
✓The Blumey record is genuine — Two wins and eight recognitions across seven seasons, verifiable in Blumenthal’s own archives, plus a 2025 National Shakespeare Competition finalist.
✓The visual path is complete and public — Intro → Art 2/3 → Honors Studio → AP Studio Art, with the AP exhibit (Art Talk) and an all-school show (ArtWalk) where the work is actually seen.
✓The worship-music spine is unique here — Credit-bearing Worship Leadership plus worship bands in both divisions — the school’s church-ministry identity expressed in the curriculum itself.
✓A patron organization with real money in it — The Covenant Arts Association’s $100–$1,000 tiers fund and staff all three arts areas.
Sports Offered18 teams across three seasons, with 82% of students playing at least one sport.
18 teams across three seasons, with 82% of students playing at least one sport. A CISAA / NCISAA 4A program that has sent more than 175 athletes to college sports since the school’s first graduating class in 2006.
18
teams, V · JV · MS
82%
of students play a sport
175+
collegiate athletes since 2006
CISAA
4A conference in the NCISAA
Depth chips:V VarsityJV Junior varsityMS Middle School
Fall · 8 teams
FootballVJVMS
Soccer (Boys)VJVMS
Field Hockey (Girls)VJVMS
Volleyball (Girls)VJVMS
Cross Country (B & G)VMS
Tennis (Girls)VJVMS
Golf (Girls)V
CheerleadingVMS
Winter · 4 teams
Basketball (Boys)VJVMS
Basketball (Girls)VMS
Swimming (B & G)VMS
CheerleadingVMS
Spring · 6 teams
BaseballVJVMS
Softball (Girls)VMS
Soccer (Girls)VJVMS
Tennis (Boys)VMS
Golf (Boys)VMS
Track & Field (B & G)VMS
The 18-team figure and season groupings are the school’s own. The per-sport V / JV / MS chips are taken from each team’s "Additional Levels" listing on the school site: 8 sports field a JV team and every sport but Girls Golf fields a middle-school team. Boys volleyball runs as a club sport, and a combined lacrosse program appears in the school’s signing coverage. MaxPreps counts 21 varsity sports and 50 total teams by splitting genders and levels the school aggregates.
Winning RecordThe 2025–26 softball team beat Cannon for the NCISAA 4A title — the school’s first team state championship since 2017, inside 26 all-time championship appearances.
The 2025–26 softball team beat Cannon for the NCISAA 4A title — the school’s first team state championship since 2017, inside 26 all-time championship appearances. Boys soccer reached back-to-back state finals and spent part of fall 2025 ranked first in the nation during an 8-game unbeaten streak.
State-title matrix, last 3 seasons
Program
'23–24
'24–25
'25–26
Note
Softball
—
—
STATE
10–1 conf
First-ever softball CISAA conference and NCISAA state titles; beat Cannon in the final
Boys Soccer
—
RUNNER-UP
1st final
RUNNER-UP
#1 seed
First-ever final in 2024–25, then hosted the 2025–26 final as the top seed and lost 2–1 to Christ School
Field Hockey
—
—
SEMIFINAL
#6 seed
Took Providence Day to overtime in the state semifinal; state runner-up in 2022
What they didn't win: boys soccer (Christ School won the 2025–26 final 2–1 at Covenant Day) · field hockey (eliminated in overtime by Providence Day) · volleyball, whose three consecutive state runner-up finishes are the program’s standing high-water mark.
Win percentage, confirmed records
Softball'25–26 CONF10–1(.909)
Baseball'25–2612–14(.462)
Season-by-season detail
Softball: The 2025–26 team captured the first-ever softball CISAA Conference and NCISAA State Championship — and the first CDS team state title of any kind since 2017 — going 10–1 in conference and defeating Cannon in the final. Senior Avery Houseton was Conference Player of the Year and All-State before signing with UNC Charlotte.
Boys Soccer: Made the program’s first NCISAA 4A final in 2024–25, then earned the #1 overall seed in 2025–26, hosted the championship game for a second consecutive year, and was "ranked first in the nation" during an 8-game unbeaten streak before falling 2–1 to Christ School.
Boys Basketball · Baseball: Boys basketball earned the #4 overall seed in the 2024–25 NCISAA playoffs behind an All-State senior pair; baseball took the #8 seed in 2025–26 at 12–14 (5–5 in conference). Neither reached the semifinal, so they sit outside the title matrix above.
Girls Basketball · XC · Tennis: Girls basketball won 15 more games in 2024–25 than the season before, including a 10-game winning streak. Girls cross country’s Caitlin Kasten won both the CISAA and NCISAA championship meets as a sophomore. Girls tennis took the Ashe Cup — the annual trophy against Charlotte Christian — for the first time in school history in 2025.
The College Pipeline33 documented college commitments across the classes of 2024–26 — nine Division I, one to a Power 4 program.
33 documented college commitments across the classes of 2024–26 — nine Division I, one to a Power 4 program. The signature signing is Emily Eaton ’24, who started every game as a freshman for a top-10 Louisville field hockey team.
The funnel
Committed to college athletics (all divisions, documented)TO VERIFY33
NCAA Division I (any conference)9
Power 4 (SEC · Big Ten · ACC · Big 12)1
Documented minimums compiled from the school’s six signing/commitment articles. The Class of 2024’s spring signing article names six athletes but only four are recoverable, so early-2024 commits may be missing. The school’s cumulative claim is 175+ collegiate athletes since 2006.
D1 commits by sport (■ = Power 4 share)
Soccer9
Baseball7
Basketball5
XC / Track4
Softball2
Volleyball2
Field Hockey1
The reality check
The pipeline is broad rather than tall: commitments span eleven sports, but the ceiling outside field hockey is D1 mid-major — Louisiana Tech, East Carolina, UNC Charlotte, Queens, Gardner-Webb, Davidson, Wofford, Appalachian State. That also explains the absence of NIL activity and top-100 recruiting rankings, which track Power 4 football and basketball pipelines.
Ranked recruits, current cycle
No nationally top-100-ranked recruit is documented. The two best-covered recruits are Emily Eaton ’24 — 2023 NCISAA Player of the Year and NC Player of the Year per Max Field Hockey, signed by a top-10-ranked Louisville program — and 6′9″ forward Michael Marcus Jr ’24, who chose Appalachian State after NC state-level coverage.
Compiled from the school’s own Lions News signing articles (September 2024 through April 2026). Levels and conferences were verified per college by the researcher; the two junior-college signees are listed at the D3 tier for want of an NJCAA level in this table’s scale. Eaton transferred from Louisville to Virginia — also ACC — for fall 2026.
Honors & Pro AlumniThe program’s benchmark alumna started every game as an ACC freshman; its benchmark season put boys soccer first in the nation.
The program’s benchmark alumna started every game as an ACC freshman; its benchmark season put boys soccer first in the nation. No professional alumni yet — the first graduating class was 2006 — but a deep all-conference and all-state ledger every season.
ACC · Class of '24
Emily Eaton
2023 NCISAA Player of the Year, Charlotte Observer Offensive Player of the Year, and Max Field Hockey’s NC Player of the Year after leading the state with 18 goals. CDS’s all-time leading scorer, she started all 17 games as a Louisville freshman and transferred to Virginia for fall 2026.
Covenant Day → Louisville → Virginia
Sun Belt · Class of '24
Michael Marcus Jr
A 6′9″ forward who averaged 14.9 points as a senior and led the Lions to a 4A semifinal, then posted an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double in his second college game.
Covenant Day → Appalachian State
The honors ledger
Two-sport All-State seniorAvery Houseton ’26 was softball Conference Player of the Year and All-State while also earning volleyball All-Conference and All-State honors, recording her 1,000th career dig, and signing with UNC Charlotte.Statewide
Conference champions of the yearCaitlin Kasten won both the CISAA and NCISAA cross-country championship meets as a sophomore and was named CISAA Runner of the Year (2024).Statewide
All-American Bowl selectionsFive football players were selected for the Gatlinburg All-American Bowl after the 2024 season, out of six All-Conference and four All-State honorees.Multi-state
Middle-school phenomCarlton Huitt earned First Team All-Conference and All-State in boys tennis in 2026 — as an 8th grader.Statewide
Career milestonesChris Rivens ’25 passed 1,000 career basketball points; Maggie Shannon ’26 passed 1,000 volleyball assists in three seasons; Ethan Welsh ’26 ran the second-fastest cross-country time in school history (15:58.7).Program record book
Coaching: Pedigree & ContinuityThe college counseling director has coached varsity volleyball for 22 seasons — and the new athletic director was promoted from high school principal.
The college counseling director has coached varsity volleyball for 22 seasons — and the new athletic director was promoted from high school principal. Athletic Director: Mike Freace. Continuity here is generational: two current signees are children of the AD and the guidance counselor.
The continuity anchor · Volleyball, 22 seasons
Heather Mills
22
seasons as head coach in 2024
3
straight state runner-up finishes
2003
at Covenant Day since
The Director of Guidance and College Counseling doubles as the varsity volleyball head coach — a two-decade tenure that produced three consecutive NCISAA state runner-up finishes and, in 2025, a 1,000-dig and a 1,000-assist senior in the same rotation.
The internal promotion · Athletic Director
Mike Freace
HS
Principal before taking the AD role
2
assistant ADs beside him
'25
son Sean signed to play college soccer
Freace moved from High School Principal to Athletic Director — an internal promotion announced on the school’s own news feed rather than an outside hire. The department around him: Aja Teich (Assistant AD / Sports Information Director), Michael Laney (Assistant AD for Middle School Athletics and head basketball coach), Chad Smith (strength & conditioning), plus an operations manager and transportation coordinator.
Mike FreaceAthletic Directorpromoted from HS PrincipalTO VERIFY
Michael LaneyAsst AD · Boys BasketballtenureTO VERIFY
Chad SmithStrength & ConditioningtenureTO VERIFY
Jordan LangsFootball — dated hireannounced on Lions News
Katie JohnsonGirls Soccer — dated hireannounced on Lions News
Worth knowing: the school publishes no coaching directory with tenure dates — the two dated head-coach announcements (Langs for football, Johnson for girls soccer) and Mills’ 22-season milestone are the documented anchors. Program coaches named in school coverage include David Houseton (baseball, father of softball signee Avery), Vanessa Laney, Rachael Klohr, Julius Klohr, Mike Hawks and Bobby Wehane.
Facilities & Athlete CareAn 800-seat gym, a turf field ringed by a 200-meter track, six new tennis courts, and a 27-acre athletic park down the road.
An 800-seat gym, a turf field ringed by a 200-meter track, six new tennis courts, and a 27-acre athletic park down the road. The Forever Covenant campaign plans an eight-lane track and field house at Warner Park.
Venue ledger
Main GymHolds more than 800 fans; home court for basketball and volleyball.
Covenant Field + Davis TrackA fully turf field beside the middle school, ringed by the four-lane, 200-meter Davis Track.
Warner Park27 acres at 515 Matthews Township Parkway — baseball, softball, football/soccer fields, and middle-school field hockey. Homecoming is played here.
Tennis complexSix brand-new hard courts with a pavilion.
Fullwood FieldPrimary field hockey venue and spring track field events.
Auxiliary GymMiddle-school volleyball and basketball, lower-school PE.
Strength & conditioningA dedicated faculty position — Chad Smith, HS Strength and Conditioning Teacher and Coach. Programming is age-appropriate with integrated speed and agility work; progress is tracked daily, and athletes lift after school and through summers.
Strength as curriculumStrength & Fitness is a credit-bearing PE course in the High School Profile, and grades 6–12 take strength electives in the Webb Fitness Center.
Athletic trainingNo athletic trainers or sports-medicine partnership (OrthoCarolina / Novant / Atrium) are named anywhere on the athletics site — the S&C program above is the published extent of athlete care.
The planned Warner Park upgrades — an eight-lane track, field-event spaces, a field house, concessions and restrooms — would replace the current four-lane track as the program’s home for meets.
Admission Rates at the Top NC Public UniversitiesAcross the six top-ranked NC public universities, Covenant Day School’s applicants were admitted at a pooled 60.3% over the last five entering classes — 301 acceptances from 499 applications.
Across the six top-ranked NC public universities, Covenant Day School’s applicants were admitted at a pooled 60.3% over the last five entering classes — 301 acceptances from 499 applications. UNC-Chapel Hill is the hard one: 27.3% in Fall 2025 — 9 of 33 — against far higher rates at the less-selective universities. These are UNC-system figures published by the state, not the school’s own.
499
applications to the six universities, Fall 2021–2025
60.3%
pooled admit rate — 301 of 499 across those five classes
27.3%
at UNC-Chapel Hill — 9 of 33, the toughest of the six for this school
NC State University
drew the most applications in Fall 2025 (42)
The six universities — Fall 2025, with the five-year average
Rank
University
Applied
Accepted
Admit rate from this school
5-yr avg
#1
UNC-Chapel Hill ↗Flagship · Chapel Hill · the most selective of the six
Read each row as a joint figure: the rate at which that university admitted this school’s applicants — not the university’s overall admit rate, and not a measure of the school’s own selectivity. Applied/Accepted are the Fall 2025 entering class; the 5-yr column pools Fall 2021–2025 as sum(accepted)/sum(applied), so a heavy year counts more than a light one. Counts travel with every rate because several cells are single-digit.
TO VERIFYRank order follows the US News National Universities table for NC publics. That qualifier matters: Appalachian State is ranked in Regional Universities South, a different list, so “top 6 in NC” is not self-defining. Re-score when the next edition lands.
The Transcript Colleges See96% of AP exam scores were a 3 or higher in 2026 — the top of a five-year climb from 84% — and every AP student must sit the exam.
96% of AP exam scores were a 3 or higher in 2026 — the top of a five-year climb from 84% — and every AP student must sit the exam. A gated AP program: none for freshmen, one for sophomores, with dual enrollment through Covenant College layered on top.
96%
of AP exams scored 3+ in 2026 (401 exams, 179 students)
78%
of AP scores were a 4 or 5
1263 / 26
Class of 2026 SAT / ACT averages
80%
of HS faculty hold advanced degrees
The five-year AP line, as the profile charts it
Class
National Merit & College Board honors
2022
84% of AP exam scores 3+
2023
93% — Class of 2023: 161 students, 324 exams; SAT 1268 / ACT 26
2024
92% — Class of 2024: 168 students, 344 exams; SAT 1243 / ACT 27
2025
96%
2026
96% — 38 AP Scholars with Distinction, 27 with Honor, 33 Scholars
Since 2006 — the first graduating class — the school counts 28 National Merit Finalists and 70 Commended students, a ledger that grew by two Finalists and nine Commended between the last two profile editions.
The rigor architecture
WeightingA+ = 4.33 unweighted; Honors +0.5; Dual Enrollment and AP +1.0. GPA computed on all subjects, grades 9–12.
AP gatingNo AP for freshmen; sophomores capped at one. The profile itself calls two junior-year and four senior-year APs "a very demanding course load."
Dual enrollmentHonors Calculus, Statistics, and Literature & Philosophy carry Covenant College credit; SevenStar Academy extends the catalog online, noted on the transcript.
Graduation25 Carnegie Units, including 3 units of Bible (a Bible course every year) and a Fine Arts unit.
Why colleges can read the grades
Every AP student testsAll students enrolled in AP courses are required to take the exams — so the 96% pass rate covers the whole AP population, not a self-selected slice.
No rank, stated in full"Due to the small class size and the college-bound nature of Covenant Day’s population, we believe that class rank is not a strong discriminator… Therefore, we do not rank."
TO VERIFYThe AP course count moves with enrollment: 15 APs in the 2026–27 profile matrix, but up to 18 in the 2024–25 edition (which carried AP Calculus BC, Human Geography and French). Ask which APs actually run in your student’s year.
The Counseling EngineOne dedicated college counseling director — in her 23rd year at the school — for 85 seniors, the heaviest caseload in this comparison.
One dedicated college counseling director — in her 23rd year at the school — for 85 seniors, the heaviest caseload in this comparison. The office is relational rather than productized: a NACCAP Professional of the Year with thirty years in guidance, meeting juniors and seniors throughout.
85:1
seniors per dedicated college counselor
2003
the director’s tenure start at Covenant Day
4
people in the guidance office
Who's in the room
Director
Heather Mills
Director of Guidance and College Counseling since 2003; thirty years in guidance and college counseling; BA Oklahoma Wesleyan, MA Winthrop; named a NACCAP K-12 Professional of the Year.
Counselor
Kim Macurda
Guidance Counselor since 2016. BA UNC Chapel Hill; MA Georgia State; former Reformed Theological Seminary registrar.
Personal
Emily Lee, MA, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, since 2021 — the clinical role, distinct from the college office.
Assistant
Kelly Turner
Guidance Assistant since 2012.
The published cadence
9–10Course-planning
Academic advising on course selectionHonors/AP placement via coursework, grades and teacher feedbackNo formal underclass counseling curriculum is published.
11–12College-facing
The office "meets with juniors and seniors throughout their high school careers"One-on-one support from course planning to application to scholarship searchCollege rep visits via the College Representatives page
What the office says it covers
✓Course planning toward college goals
✓Building a strong application
✓Identifying scholarship opportunities
✓Academic advising and student counseling
✓The annual High School Profile (CEEB 342532)
The profile is the office’s application artifact: weighting key, rank policy, AP gating and the acceptance list in a two-page PDF, refreshed annually — three editions verified.
Reach & tools
NACCAP membership plus a Professional of the Year director — name recognition inside the Christian-college admissions circuit
NACAC membership on the mainstream side
A standing dual-enrollment pipe to Covenant College, the PCA’s denominational college
PUBLICATION GAPNo grade-by-grade counseling timeline is published — only the junior/senior meeting cadence — and no college-counseling platform (Naviance, Scoir) is named anywhere on the public site.
TO VERIFYThe 85:1 ratio is derived (85 seniors ÷ 1 dedicated director). The second guidance counselor carries non-college load, so the effective college caseload may be lighter than the headline — but the school never states one.
Where Graduates Go225 institutions on the published 2023–2026 acceptance list — with matriculations bolded, so you can see where students actually went.
225 institutions on the published 2023–2026 acceptance list — with matriculations bolded, so you can see where students actually went. The current window reaches Dartmouth, Penn and Duke — all three bolded as enrolled — with the deepest concentrations at NC publics and Christian colleges.
225
institutions on the 2023–2026 acceptance list
85
seniors in the Class of 2027
2 / 8
Ivies on the list — Dartmouth and Penn, both with matriculants
46 / 68
Power Four universities on the list
The selectivity buckets
Tier
On list
Ivy League — Dartmouth, Penn; both bolded (matriculated)
2 / 8
“Ivy Plus” — adds Duke, also bolded
3 / 17
Top-75 National Universities
40 / 75
Top-75 Liberal Arts — Davidson through Gettysburg
9 / 75
Power Four — 14 ACC · 12 SEC · 11 Big Ten · 9 Big 12
46 / 68
HBCUs — Fayetteville State, Johnson C. Smith, NC A&T
3 / 107
Derived by this research from the school’s published list against the 2026 U.S. News tables — the same rosters used for the other schools here, not figures the school reports. Earlier windows ran higher: the 2018–2023 highlights include Stanford, MIT, Princeton, Brown, Cornell and Vanderbilt, and the 2021–2024 list adds five UC campuses.
Every acceptance, 2023–2026 — filter & search
225 shown · 225 institutions · bold = at least one graduate enrolled
No scholarship dollar totals — checked across all three profile editionsNo per-class acceptance breakdowns — the lists are multi-year windowsNo matriculation-rate percentages
The bold-marks-matriculation convention is itself unusual disclosure: because both published lists carry it and overlap on the classes of 2023–24, acceptances and enrollments can be cross-validated across editions.
Honest caveat: A multi-year cumulative list shows breadth, not rates: each name means at least one acceptance across four graduating classes of ~85, and bold means at least one enrollment.
TO VERIFYThe bolded matriculation names were recovered from the PDF’s font data (plain text extraction drops bold) — spot-checked but machine-extracted. The acceptance list itself extracted cleanly.
The Applicant's EdgeThe differentiators are depth stories: a department no other school has, a housing build on Pine Ridge, and college credit from the PCA’s own college.
The differentiators are depth stories: a department no other school has, a housing build on Pine Ridge, and college credit from the PCA’s own college. No research-program or Olympiad credentials — the edge here is distinctiveness and legibility, not national competition results.
Restoration & Sustainability a department of one’s own
◆A named high-school department with its own director (Dr. Rebeca Burnett) — unique among these schools
◆The profile gives it a stand-alone descriptive block — a transcript line no other Charlotte-area applicant carries
Signature projects what an essay gets written about
▲Senior Capstone Project — a named milestone for every student
▲ContainIt: high schoolers converting shipping containers into housing for 30+ teens on the Pine Ridge Reservation
▲McKnight Oratory and Mock Trial (2025 state runner-up courtroom artist) on the speaking side
Legible rigor what an admissions reader sees
●Covenant College dual-enrollment credit atop the AP matrix
●Every-AP-student-tests policy makes the 96% pass rate cover the whole program
●The no-rank policy plus a full weighting key lets readers reconstruct rigor in context
The support model is relational — a 30-year director in the NACCAP circuit — rather than a productized essay-bootcamp curriculum, and the school publishes none of the latter.
Whole Class AnalyticsStrong aggregates, no distributions: per-class SAT/ACT averages and a five-year AP line, but no quantiles of any kind — by policy.
Strong aggregates, no distributions: per-class SAT/ACT averages and a five-year AP line, but no quantiles of any kind — by policy. "We do not rank" extends to the data: a school that declines to rank does not publish distribution tables either.
SAT & ACT class averages — as published, per profile edition
Class of 2026
SAT 1263
ACT 26
Class of 2024
SAT 1243
ACT 27
Class of 2023
SAT 1268
ACT 26
5-year averages
SAT 1261
ACT 26
Averages only — no percentiles, no middle-50%, no tester counts.
AP Scholar tiers, Class of 2026
Scholars with Distinction
38
Scholars with Honor
27
AP Scholars
33
98 scholar designations against 179 AP students — the closest thing to a shape-of-the-class disclosure the school makes.
Learning differences through the process
Learning specialistsFive Learning Specialists and an Academic Resources Director on the high school staff table — a real support bench for a 350-student high school.
Clinical counselingA Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (Emily Lee) on staff, distinct from the college office.
Priced helpThe tuition terms disclose that tutoring and special testing beyond classroom help are available at extra cost — a stated, priced channel rather than an unspoken one.
AP gating (none for freshmen, one for sophomores) is itself a whole-class guardrail: rigor is sequenced by readiness rather than open-enrollment.
The middle & the non-traditional path
The list shows the rangeThe bolded matriculations run from Dartmouth and Duke through Covenant College, Cedarville, Montreat, community colleges and trade-adjacent programs — a school placing only its top quartile would not produce that spread.
The NC-public backboneThe deepest enrolled concentrations are Chapel Hill, NC State, UNC Charlotte, App State and East Carolina — the destinations that serve the broad middle of a North Carolina class.
PUBLICATION GAPNo distributions are published anywhere: no GPA quantiles, no score percentiles, no per-class matriculation rates. This card ships with the aggregates above because they are genuinely informative — but the shape of the class is not recoverable from public sources, and that follows from the school’s own no-rank policy.
Verdict & Visit ChecklistA rigorous, legible academic product with an unusually heavy counselor caseload — and disclosure that is excellent about outcomes, silent about process.
A rigorous, legible academic product with an unusually heavy counselor caseload — and disclosure that is excellent about outcomes, silent about process. The profile tells colleges nearly everything; the website tells parents much less about how the counseling actually works.
Why it holds up
✓The AP story is genuinely strong — 96% of exams at 3+, 78% at 4–5, with a required-exam policy that makes the number honest, and a five-year rising line to back it.
✓The heaviest caseload in this comparison — One dedicated college counselor for 85 seniors — cushioned by a 23-year director with NACCAP standing, but a ratio a parent should ask about directly.
✓Matriculation is actually visible — Bold marks on two overlapping multi-year lists let you verify where students enrolled, not just where they were accepted — disclosure peers rarely offer.
✓The ceiling is real but episodic — Dartmouth, Penn and Duke enrollments in the current window; Stanford/MIT/Princeton belong to earlier windows. The dependable strength is NC publics and the Christian-college network.
✓Process disclosure is thin — No counseling timeline, no platform named, no essay or application programming published — the model rides on the director’s relationships.
The Coverage MapFree before-care from 7:30 a.m. for everyone, then Extended Day to 6:00 p.m. for JK–8 in stacked 90-minute sessions.
Free before-care from 7:30 a.m. for everyone, then Extended Day to 6:00 p.m. for JK–8 in stacked 90-minute sessions. The 1.5-hour session is the unit of everything: JK/K needs three of them to reach 6:00, grades 1–8 need two. High school has no aftercare.
No aftercare — athletics (82% play) and activities instead
Prices shown are the five-day monthly rate per arrangement — sessions cost $248/month each at five days a week, and fewer days cost less ($58–$206). Open The Cost Planner below to price any combination.
Free before-care: from 7:30 a.m. until the start of school, at no charge, school-wide — the only free morning care in this comparisonWednesday late start: all grades begin at 8:50 a.m. instead of 8:15 — before-care absorbs the difference at no chargeEnrichment: separate after-school classes in music, art, sports, robotics, and outdoor experiences register on LionsWeb; the catalog itself sits behind the login
PUBLICATION GAPNo enrichment-class catalog is public — LionsWeb registration is login-gated, so class names, days, grades and fees are not published. Third-party listings name piano/guitar/voice lessons, painting, and an After School Children’s Choir (grades 3–5).
The Cost PlannerOne ladder, multiplied: $58–$248 a month per 90-minute session by days per week — so the real cost is how many sessions your dismissal time forces.
One ladder, multiplied: $58–$248 a month per 90-minute session by days per week — so the real cost is how many sessions your dismissal time forces. August and December bill at exactly half, which is why the school’s own annual table ($522–$6,696 "for 10 Months") is cheaper than ten times the monthly rate.
Days / week
Grade · pickup slot (monthly)
1 day VERIFIED
2 days VERIFIED
3 days VERIFIED
4 days VERIFIED
5 days VERIFIED
$174
$336
$486
$618
$744
$116
$224
$324
$412
$496
$58
$112
$162
$206
$248
Fees & fine print
Drop-in$20 / session
Before-school care (7:30 a.m.–start)free
Registration feenone published
Late-pickup feenone published
The multi-session rows above are the per-session ladder summed by the researcher — the school prices sessions individually ($20 drop-in to $248/month) and publishes the stacked totals only on its annual table.
Your estimate
Grades 1–8 · dismissal–6:00 pm, two sessions
5 days / week, until pickup
$496/ month
School year (10 billing months (Aug & Dec at half rate))$4,960
≈ per afternoon$23
The school’s own annual table is the cheaper way to buy it. Priced "for 10 Months," one session five days a week is $2,232 (vs. $2,480 at 10× monthly) and the full three-session, five-day JK/K stack is $6,696 — the half-rate August and December are baked in. Before-school care from 7:30 a.m. is free either way.
EST.Multi-session monthly totals (e.g. $744/mo for JK/K to 6:00) are derived by stacking the school’s published per-session rates; the school’s own published figure for that arrangement is the annual $6,696. The single-session column is verbatim.
TO VERIFYRates are undated on the Extended Day page — confirm they are current for 2026–27 before budgeting.
Verdict & Visit ChecklistThe most parent-friendly entry price in this set — free morning care, $20 drop-ins — with a session system that quietly triples for the youngest families.
The most parent-friendly entry price in this set — free morning care, $20 drop-ins — with a session system that quietly triples for the youngest families. Coverage matches the 6:00 p.m. peer standard; the catalog opacity is the one real gap.
Why it holds up
✓Free before-school care from 7:30 a.m., school-wide — every peer here charges for morning care. The Wednesday 8:50 late start is absorbed free too.
✓Genuine flexibility: $20 drop-ins, day-count tiers from one to five days, and an annual table with the half-rate months already priced in.
✓Coverage to 6:00 p.m. for JK–8 matches the best pickup time in this comparison.
✓The published pricing is complete and current-looking — monthly and annual tables both, on a live page, with the August/December rule stated in plain words.
Watch-outs
!The session system compounds for JK/K: a 1:30 dismissal means three stacked sessions to reach 6:00 — $744 a month at the monthly rate, against a single-session headline of $248 that is easy to misread as the full cost.
!No aftercare for grades 9–12 — high schoolers dismiss at 3:15 into athletics or activities, not a supervised program.
!The enrichment catalog is invisible — five category names and a login wall. No class, day, grade band or fee is public.
!No late-pickup fee is published, which usually means one exists in the parent handbook — ask.
The Camp Catalog20 camps named for summer 2026 across eight weeks, June 1 – July 31 — anchored by Camp Lion and Cub Camp, the traditional day camps that bundle care free.
20 camps named for summer 2026 across eight weeks, June 1 – July 31 — anchored by Camp Lion and Cub Camp, the traditional day camps that bundle care free. Registration runs on the CampBrain portal with early-bird discounts through February 27. The school markets "29 camps"; 20 are enumerable on the public page.
All 20 publicly named camps are listed. Current per-camp prices and hours are portal-gated, so prices below are estimates from the third-party current range ($170–$325/week) and the school’s own 2018 catalog — the care add-on rates on the Cost Planner are the school’s own current figures.
Grade
20 of 20 camps
Camp
When
Grades
Price
Camp LionDay Camps The traditional full-day camp — includes Before Care, After Care and Lunch Care at no extra cost, plus the sibling discount ($75 off full-day).
Mon–Fri full day + free care
TK–5
$170–$325EST.
Cub CampDay Camps The youngest campers’ day camp; care bundled free and $50 off half-day siblings.
Mon–Fri half or full day
TK–K
$170–$325EST.
Little Lion CampDay Camps The entry step below Cub Camp for the youngest age band.
Mon–Fri half day
JK–TK
$170–$325EST.
BasketballSports In the 2018 catalog this ran as half- or full-day (9–12, 1–4, or 9–4) — the pattern the current camp likely follows.
Mon–Fri 9–12 / 1–4 / 9–4
Gr 2–8
$170–$325EST.
BaseballSports Skill development with the program’s coaches — $185/week half-day in the 2018 catalog.
Mon–Fri half day
Gr 1–8
$170–$325EST.
Boys FootballSports Runs at Warner Park, the 27-acre athletic campus.
Mon–Fri half day
LS–MS
$170–$325EST.
Co-Ed SoccerSports Warner Park fields.
Mon–Fri half day
LS–MS
$170–$325EST.
Girls VolleyballSports Run inside the program with three straight state runner-up finishes.
Mon–Fri half day
MS–HS
$170–$325EST.
Lady Lions Field HockeySports The varsity program’s camp; a separate Lower School Field Hockey camp feeds it.
Mon–Fri half day
MS–HS
$170–$325EST.
Lower School Field HockeySports The entry-level stick-skills week.
Mon–Fri half day
LS
$170–$325EST.
Girls CheerleadingSports Sideline and spirit fundamentals.
Mon–Fri half day
LS–MS
$170–$325EST.
Pickleball CampSports On the six new hard courts.
Mon–Fri half day
MS–HS
$170–$325EST.
Strength and ConditioningSports The Webb Fitness Center program, run by the school’s S&C coach — the same summer lifting the varsity athletes do.
Mon–Fri sessions
Gr 6–12
$170–$325EST.
Nerf CampDay Camps The pure-fun week.
Mon–Fri half day
LS–MS
$170–$325EST.
Middle School Musical TheaterArts & Theater Includes Lunch Care free — the one non-day-camp with bundled care.
Mon–Fri full day incl. lunch
MS
$170–$325EST.
Lower School TheaterArts & Theater The stage-first week for younger students.
Mon–Fri half day
LS
$170–$325EST.
Art DiscoveryArts & Theater Studio sampler in the visual-arts rooms.
Mon–Fri half day
LS
$170–$325EST.
The Great Covenant Day Bake OffArts & Theater The culinary week.
Mon–Fri half day
LS–MS
$170–$325EST.
Science, Engineering, & MoreSTEM & Academics The STEM week.
Mon–Fri half day
LS–MS
$170–$325EST.
College AdmissionsSTEM & Academics A high-school week run against the guidance office’s calendar — the rare HS academic camp in this set.
Mon–Fri sessions
HS
$170–$325EST.
EST.Per-camp prices and hours are estimates: current figures are gated behind the CampBrain registration portal, so the range shown is the third-party current figure ($170–$325/week), with hours patterned on the school’s own 2018 catalog where the same camp existed.
PUBLICATION GAPThe school markets "29 camps"; the public page enumerates 20 (a 21st listing, "Splash Squad," is a staff position). Per-week variants and portal-only camps likely account for the difference.
STALEThe last document publishing per-camp price + hours + grades together is the 2018 catalog (e.g. Baseball $185/wk half-day, Basketball $150 half / $250 full) — eight years old, kept as a documented sample only.
The Summer Cost PlannerBudget $170–$325 a week for camp itself — then $50 before-care, $50 after-care and $30 lunch care, unless Camp Lion or Cub Camp bundles all three free.
Budget $170–$325 a week for camp itself — then $50 before-care, $50 after-care and $30 lunch care, unless Camp Lion or Cub Camp bundles all three free. Eight weeks are available (June 1 – July 31, skipping the week of June 29). A $50 non-refundable registration fee is already inside every camp price.
Weeks of summer
Camp tier
Per week
The bottom of the third-party current range.
$170EST.
Midpoint estimate; the 2018 catalog’s full-day camps sat near here.
$250EST.
The top of the third-party current range. Camp Lion bundles all three care add-ons free at full day.
$325EST.
Add-ons
Fees & fine print
Registration (non-refundable, included in camp cost)$50
Camp exchange$20
Cancellation before May 1100% less $35
Camp Lion (Full Day), Cub Camp and MS Musical Theater include care free — Before and After Care for the day camps, Lunch Care for all three. Leave the toggles off for those weeks.
Sibling discounts on the day camps: $50 off half-day / $75 off full-day for each additional registration. Cancellations after May 1 refund 50% (≥14 days out) and nothing inside 14 days.
Your estimate
Typical camp week · middle of the range
4 weeks of camp
$1,000for the summer
Camp, per week$250
Total per week$250
≈ per camp day$50
EST. — uses a modeled rate
Early-bird pricing ends February 27. Registration is open on the CampBrain portal, closing at noon the Friday before each camp week. Camps are open to the community, and grade means the rising grade for the coming school year.
EST.All three week tiers are estimates — the school publishes no current per-camp price list; only the care add-ons and fee policies above are its own current figures.
In-Depth ReportTuition & Financial Aid — Deep Dive Report · 2026–27 school year · figures as of 15 Aug 2026
Tuition & Financial Aid — Deep Dive Report
2026–27 school year · figures as of 15 Aug 2026
Unpublished ≠ deficient. "Not published" flags a transparency gap — never a judgement that the aid programme is small or unwelcoming.
Two years are live at once. The website table shows 2026–27 while the linked payment-terms PDF shows 2025–26. Every figure here names its year; the report leads with 2026–27.
K–12 aid only. Tuition assistance while enrolled — not college aid. Not financial advice.
Meters show how fully each section could be answered from published evidence — a disclosure score, not a rating of the school.
SECTION 01
Tuition by Grade Level
Published tuition by grade band — the lowest top rate in this comparisonprior yearcurrent
The school states what tuition includes — on-campus computers/iPads, technology expenses, school retreats and required field trips, science lab and elective fees, and most athletic expenses — an inclusions list several peers do not publish.
JK & K$15,490+8.4%
Grades 1–5$17,790+7.2%
Grades 6–8$20,490+6.2%
Grades 9–12$22,790+5.6%
Four bands from junior kindergarten through grade 12, a $7,300 spread. The rise from 2025–26 was a flat $1,200 at every band — a dollar increase, not a percentage one, which is why the youngest band shows the steepest percent change.
SECTION 02
Fees and Additional Costs
A short, mostly-priced list
Enrollment deposit · $1,000, credited to tuition
FACTS monthly-plan fee · $50/yr
Card-processing fee · 3.05% of payment
Extended Day (JK–8) · $58–$248/mo per session
Laptop, grades 9–12 · bring your own
Tutoring / special testing beyond classroom help
Uniform (JK–8) / HS dress code
The inclusions list does real work here: retreats, required field trips, lab and elective fees, and most athletic expenses sit inside tuition, so the priced add-ons are genuinely few. Grades 9–12 must supply a laptop meeting the school’s specs.
The deposit is aid-aware
The $1,000 per-student deposit is non-refundable and credited to tuition — and families who submit a completed aid application before enrolling may ask the Business Office to halve it while the application is considered. Waiting for an aid decision without paying the deposit, though, means no seat is held.
SECTION 03
Aid Process and Timeline
With admissionFamilies submit the aid application concurrently with the admissions application, through FACTS — the same platform that runs tuition billing
PrerequisiteProof of application for the NC Opportunity Scholarship is mandatory before any CDS aid is considered — a hard gate no peer school here imposes
On completionDecisions are communicated only once an application is complete, including all supporting documentation
Every yearNo multi-year award — families submit a new application each year
Platform & scope
FACTS runs the confidential need assessment. Aid is need-based only, and only the party responsible for paying tuition may apply. Contact: Christen Marshall, Student Accounts Coordinator, 704-708-6102.
NOT PUBLISHED
No aid deadline date, no decision timeline, no appeals process, and no award-ceiling policy appears on the public record. The application fee for FACTS, if any, is also unstated.
SECTION 04
What the Numbers Disclose
~20%
of students on aid — third-party figure only
No 990
church ministry — IRS-exempt from filing
$0
published aid totals, averages, or budgets
NOT PUBLISHED — AND NOT RECOVERABLE
Covenant Day is a ministry of Christ Covenant Church (PCA), and the IRS designates it a religious organization not required to file Form 990 (EIN 56-1656570, exempt since 1989). ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer confirms no filing exists. Every other school in this project is a 990 filer whose aid totals can be checked against its return — here there is no filing to check, so the gap is structural rather than a page waiting to be found.
SECTION 05
Merit, Discounts & State Scholarships
ALL SCHOOL AID IS NEED-BASED
$1,500
Multi-child discount
Off tuition for the third and each additional student from the same household, applied to the children in the lowest grades. Two-child families get nothing.
$400
Christ Covenant Church member discount
Per enrolled student, for members of the sponsoring church — membership affirmed during online enrollment, with a February 1 cutoff for full-year eligibility.
NC
Opportunity Scholarship + ESA+
The school accepts both NCSEAA-administered programs — and applying for the Opportunity Scholarship is a prerequisite for CDS aid, so state aid is the designed first layer of every package.
NOT PUBLISHED
No merit scholarships exist on the public record — aid is need-based only. No sibling discount before the third child, no military or clergy discount, and no employee-remission policy is published.
SECTION 06
Payment Plans & Contract Terms
1×
Annual plan
The full balance due by May 1 preceding the school year. No prepayment discount is published.
9×
Monthly plan (FACTS)
Nine equal installments, May through January, autopaying on the 5th or 20th — plus a $50/year FACTS fee. Note the season: payments start four months before school does.
3.05%
Card surcharge
Debit/credit payments incur a 3.05% processor fee; bank drafts avoid it. On a $22,790 tuition that is roughly $695.
10th
Withdrawal cutoff
Withdrawals must be official by the 10th of the month to skip that month’s installment; refunds equal installments whose due date has not passed. Monthly-plan families current on payments get no refund and owe no more.
Non-current accounts
Accounts more than 30 days past due can suspend re-enrollment, report cards, transcript release — and class access. A standard force-majeure clause keeps tuition obligations alive through closures.
SECTION 07
The Trend, and What to Ask
+$1,200
flat increase at every band, 2025–26 → 2026–27
$22,790
top band — the lowest top tuition in this comparison
2 yrs
of published rates (website + terms PDF)
Questions the public record cannot answer
Q1What share of families receive aid, and what is the average award? (The ~20% figure is third-party.)
Q2What is the aid application deadline, and when are decisions released relative to enrollment contracts?
Q3How does the mandatory NC Opportunity Scholarship application interact with CDS aid for families above the state income cap?
Q4Is there an appeals or mid-year change-of-circumstance process?
Q5Was the flat-$1,200 increase a one-year choice or the standing pattern?
Tuition History & SourcesTuition by band and year — Grade band · 2025-26 (terms PDF) · 2026-27 (website) · Δ