New Dimensions Charter School plans for next school year, opens enrollment

With a newly approved 10-year charter renewal, New Dimensions Charter School in Morganton is set to continue serving students for another decade. Enrollment for the upcoming school year opened Jan. 5 for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

While the exact number of open seats has not yet been confirmed, parents can apply in person at the school or print an application from ndschool.org/home and bring it to the school by the 5 p.m. March 30 deadline.

All applicants are placed in a randomized lottery system, which is publicly drawn on March 31. Parents are given a number for their child to maintain anonymity.

“Literally, it’s the spin of a wheel to fill in those spaces,” NDS Director Lisa Ervin said. “Then, we put everybody on a wait list because, during the summer, we have people move, or people change their minds. We’re always calling that next person on the wait list.”

Students from any county can apply, with no special requirements or fees for acceptance. Current New Dimensions students live in Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, and McDowell counties. Transportation to and from school is the responsibility of parents.

Admission is not based on academic performance. Students don’t have to be high-flying academic prodigies to be accepted, and educational records are not considered during the admissions process. When records are reviewed, it’s to better support students, whether through the academic TAG (Talented and Gifted) program or assistance such as math intervention and multilingual support.

Staffing levels keep the maximum teacher-to-student ratio at 1:18 in kindergarten through fifth grade, and one teacher to every 25 students in sixth through eighth grade. Ervin said a teacher assistant is assigned to every kindergarten and first grade classroom. Two assistant teachers are shared between the four second grade classrooms, and one assistant teacher is shared between each set of four classrooms across third, fourth, and fifth grades.

The charter school emphasizes teaching students the appropriate use of technology and artificial intelligence to prepare them for the future, Ervin said, and is less pen-and-paper focused than the county district. Hands-on and project-based learning are integral to the school’s curriculum, and all students, even middle schoolers, have recess. The school earned a C on its latest North Carolina School Report Card, a state accountability measure that weighs factors such as academic growth and proficiency.

Along with electives ranging from creative writing and drama to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs, the school encourages students to engage with the community through outreach.

“Throughout the year, our different grade levels have formed different relationships with outside organizations,” said Misty Dillingham, the NDS elementary school administrator. “Whether it’s little treat bags at Halloween for the residents (at College Pines Health and Rehabilitation) or caroling at Christmas — whatever it might be — just to give back to the community.”

New Dimensions Charter School is a free public school, but it does differ from the local school district in several ways. The school does not have a traditional cafeteria kitchen. Students bring their own food or can order meals from rotating vendors, including Chick-fil-A, Buck’s Pizza, Firehouse Subs, Taco Bell, and Butch’s Barbeque & Breakfast. Students also follow a uniform policy featuring solid polo shirts and solid pants, with no jeans.

Ervin, who came to New Dimensions after retiring from public education, has been with the school for more than five years. Dillingham has been there for around 11 years and believes the school’s commitment to families is what sets it apart.

“I think we are family-oriented,” Dillingham said. “I think that we really focus on our families within the building, and we get to know those families.”

Parents can learn more about the school through Facebook videos that will be posted beginning Jan. 26 as part of the Charter School Association’s School Choice Week. For more information about the application process, call the school at 828-437-5753 or visit www.ndschool.org.