Cape Fear Center for Inquiry

The Cape Fear Center for Inquiry (CFCI) is a public charter school located in Wilmington, NC. As a charter school we are funded by the state of North Carolina and do not charge tuition. We are not a part of New Hanover County School System, but rather function as our own small school system. We have a board of directors that makes policy and hiring decisions. We do not discriminate in admission.

The founders of the school believe that good teachers are the most important factor in a child’s school experience. We therefore decided to give hiring preference to licensed teachers and to keep the teacher/child ratio low. In grades K/1 the maximum class size is 18, in 2/3 it is 20 and in 4-8 it is 22. Because of the importance of the teacher/child relationship, especially for younger children, in our elementary grades teachers stay with their classes for two school years. We loop kindergarten to 1st grade, 2nd grade to 3rd grade, and 4th grade to 5th grade. Due to the increasing complexity of the curriculum, the middle grades do not loop. Instead, the teachers are departmentalized so that each can focus on teaching his or her specialty area.

Because we are a public school, we are required to teach the North Carolina Standard Course of Study included the Common Core Standards and NC Essential Standards and to administer end of grade tests (EOG/EOC’s). We have a strong exceptional children’s program that uses both inclusion and pull out programs as appropriate.

Academic Program includes:
Literacy Instruction
Mathematics
Social Studies
Science
Technology
Spanish
Health and Physical Education
Music
Art
Personal Fitness
Band
Musical Theater