North Carolina School Choice Advocates Come Together to Recognize National School
Choice Week
North Carolina Virtual Academy, North Carolina Cyber Academy, and
North Carolina Public School Options Work Alongside Policymakers to Promote Choice in Education
This week, two North Carolina virtual schools and a North Carolina school choice coalition are coming together to celebrate
National School Choice Week. Across the country, schools, organizations, coalitions, and families are planning over 25,000
individual celebrations and events to highlight the importance of school choice. Joining together are traditional public schools,
public charter schools, private schools, online public virtual schools, public magnet schools, and home educators.
In North Carolina, the North Carolina Virtual Academy (NCVA), the North Carolina Cyber Academy (NCCA), and
North Carolina Public School Options (NC PSO) are ensuring our legislators understand why the virtual school route should
remain a viable option for families in our state through meetings with parents and students. The NC Legislature authorized
a pilot program for online charter schools in 2014. NCVA and NCCA are the only two virtual charter schools in the state.
The North Carolina Virtual Academy is a fully accredited K-12 online virtual school. “School choice allows
North Carolina Virtual Academy to serve students from all walks of life residing anywhere in the state of North Carolina,”
says Head of School Katie Gomersall. “Students at NCVA have an opportunity to learn using an amazing curriculum—with
the help of a dedicated staff—in a virtual world to put them on the path of academic greatness to solidify their post-secondary
success.”
In 2015, the North Carolina Cyber Academy opened as North Carolina Connections
Academy. In 2019, NCCA opted to operate under more localized control and changed the name to North Carolina Cyber Academy.
The school is open to all North Carolina students from kindergarten to 12th grade. “We’re proud to celebrate National
School Choice Week and are thankful for the policymakers who support choice in education,” says NCCA Superintendent
Martez Hill. “At NCCA, our commitment is clear: We want to provide individualized learning opportunities that support
the whole child, better preparing them for life by meeting them exactly where they are. Our educators and staff are
dedicated to the academic, social, and emotional needs of our students—all in a flexible virtual environment that works
for families and children.”
Both NCVA and NCCA remained fully open and operational
during the COVID-19 pandemic to students and faculty. Many parents have opted for the virtual option due to reasons such as
flexibility, personal medical reasons, bullying, and individualized student learning habits.
North Carolina Public School Options (NC PSO) is an alliance of parents that supports and defends parents’ rights
to access the best public school options for their children. North Carolina PSO supports the creation of public school options,
including charter schools, online schools, magnet schools, tuition scholarship programs, open enrollment policies, and other
innovative education programs. Dee Stewart, NC PSO Coalition Manager says, “NC PSO understands parents know best where
their children will grow and succeed. We support parent and students’ rights to access to the best school options that
suits their family. Parents care for children like no one else. Parents are invested in their children’s future. They
want to see their children live full lives, which starts with their education. We are honored to work with our state’s
two virtual schools to bring greater awareness about these vital options to lawmakers.
National School Choice Week (NSCW) informs and empowers parents to discover the K-12 education options available for their
children, including traditional public, public charter, public magnet, online, private, and homeschooling. Every January,
tens of thousands of schools and organizations plan unique events and activities to shine a positive spotlight on effective
education options in their communities. The Week is a project of the nonpartisan, nonpolitical National School Choice Awareness
Foundation.
To learn more about National School Choice Week and nationwide celebrations,
visit https://schoolchoiceweek.com/
To learn more about North Carolina Virtual Academy, visit https://ncva.k12.com
To learn more about North Carolina Cyber Academy, visit https://www.myncca.com
To learn more about North Carolina
Public School Options, visit https://www.publicschooloptions.org/states/north-carolina