The school year may have started, but it’s not too late to find the right fit for your student.
American Renaissance School currently has limited openings for students in grades 5–8 for the 2026–2027 school year.
At ARS, middle school students are known, challenged and encouraged to discover what they’re capable of. As a tuition-free public charter school in Downtown Statesville, we combine strong academics with opportunities to explore the arts, STEM, robotics, athletics and more, all within a supportive school community designed to help students grow.
These are important years. Students are developing their interests, their confidence, their friendships and a stronger sense of who they are.
At ARS, students have opportunities to:
Explore STEM & Robotics through hands-on learning, problem solving and competitive robotics.
Discover the Arts through visual arts, music, theater and creative experiences.
Get Involved through athletics, clubs and activities that build teamwork, leadership and school spirit.
Learn Beyond the Classroom in a school connected to the heart of Downtown Statesville.
Be Part of a Community where academic excellence, respect, safety, integrity and support guide the student experience.
If your child has started the school year somewhere else and you’re already wondering whether there might be a better fit, you don’t have to wait until next year to explore your options.
Limited seats are currently available in grades 5–8.
Come see ARS for yourself, meet our community and discover whether American Renaissance School could be the right next step for your student.
Sign Up For A Tour! (opens a link)
American Renaissance School is a tuition-free, public, charter school serving grades K-8 in historic downtown Statesville.
ARS participates in the National School Lunch Program, offers a wide variety of clubs and athletics, and transportation is available.
Since 1998 ARS has worked to educate our young people as students and citizens. ARS provides a welcoming environment where the arts are integrated into the curriculum. This school’s philosophy is that learning extends beyond the classroom, and students are often seen about town with their teachers during the school day.
The cornerstones of an ARS education are Academic Excellence, Respect, Safety, Integrity and Support.
American Renaissance currently has 824 students in grades K-8. Over the next two years enrollment will be gradually expanding to accommodate up to 900 students in grades K-8.
This creates a unique opportunity for local families. Most years there are very few openings outside of kindergarten, but for the 2026-2027 year there will be limited openings in all grades.
American Renaissance officials are in the final stages of development of an exciting, downtown campus that will include multiple buildings and a new gym and multi-purpose space.
*The Kindergarten or 1st-8th Grade Enrollment Documents {below} will need to be uploaded with the enrollment packet.
American Renaissance School is a tuition-free public school dedicated to the success of all students. Admission is open to any North Carolina resident of proper age unless demand exceeds the number of spaces permitted in a charter school agreement with the State.
An application must be submitted for the siblings of current students if the siblings are not currently attending ARS; however,
returning students themselves do NOT need to reapply.
All applicants must complete an application and return it to the school prior to the designated deadline. This includes siblings of current and/or past students. Applicants must provide all information requested in the application. Failure to complete the application in full will remove your application from consideration. ARS does not retain applications from previous enrollment periods; if you applied last year
and didn’t get in, you will need to complete a new application if you want to be included in this year’s enrollment lottery.
If the number of applications exceeds the number of slots available, a lottery date will be set, applicants notified, and a lottery held to fill openings. All other applicants will be placed on a waiting list set by the lottery. The open enrollment period for the 2026-27 school year starts on January 6, 2026, and ends on March 6, 2026. Applications received after the due date will be added to the bottom of the waitlist in the order they are received.
The lottery process is set by State Law and the school follows all sections of the law outlined by the State of North Carolina. The enrollment lottery is random, transparent, and open to the public. The 2026-2027 enrollment lottery will be held, if necessary, on Friday, March 6, 2026, at 5 pm in the Donovan Cook Center at American Renaissance School (elementary building). The lottery will consist of up to 18 sub-lotteries for siblings and new students applying to each grade level. All names in each lottery will be randomly shuffled to determine an order, with siblings getting priority at the top of the list. We will offer available seats first, then use the remaining names in order to build a waitlist for each grade level. If a current or recently enrolled family chooses not to attend next year, we will call the next family on the waitlist to offer them a seat. We will continue to enroll new families until the 20th day of the 2026-27 school year; it is not uncommon for other families to change their plans over the summer or during the first few weeks of school.
Per state law, qualifying siblings of current and former students are eligible for priority in the enrollment lottery. A sibling must live in the same household and be a direct sibling of the current or former student; this includes step-siblings, half-siblings, and foster siblings. To qualify as the sibling of a former student, the former student must have been enrolled at ARS for a minimum of 3 years and must have completed 8th grade with us.
An application must be submitted for the siblings of current students if the siblings are not currently attending ARS; however,
returning students themselves do NOT need to reapply.
