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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A Charlotte-area charter school scheduled to open this year says it doesn't have enough students to begin classes.
Carolina STEM Academy is one of 11 Charlotte-area charter schools scheduled to open next month, The Charlotte Observer (http://bit.ly/Ucedef ) reported. The school notified parents this week it will not be opening as scheduled.
The high school specializing in science, technology, engineering and math had hoped to open with 200 ninth- and 10th-graders.
School officials say they received 170 applicants but only 66 confirmed their enrollment.
Charter schools are alternatives to public schools that are run by independent boards rather than the local school district. North Carolina has removed restrictions on the number of charter schools allowed and there has been a competition for students and school locations in the Charlotte area.
Some families applied for several charter schools and/or magnet schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system.. That creates situations like the one Carolina STEM faces, where students chosen for a school do not attend.
The school's board wrote to parents telling them of the decision.
The letter said the board decided to announce the closure before receiving any public money and to provide time for families and staff to find new schools.
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Information from: The Charlotte Observer, http://www.charlotteobserver.com
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