Johnston Charter Academy

40 Scholar Drive

School District

Johnston Charter Academy
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:22
Type

charter

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by student on January 11, 2025

The 8th grade classrooms are very small and cannot fit all the 30+ kids in my class.Although the lunch ladies are nice the school lunch isnt very good.The principal acts nice but only belives what techers say and not what the students say or do.I’ve been here since 2018 and it was good until the year we went back after covid then every teacher taught only for one year then left to another school that is far better than this school.If your child talks once even to ask for a pencil or sharpener,the new 8th english teacher will freak out and say do they need meds since they talk so much.The bathrooms are disgusting,for all grades.The kindergarten bathrooms smelt of pee,the 1-3 bathrooms reek in there,4-5 bathroom always is a mess and the air is not easy to breathe and finally the middle school one always has at least one bathroom closed full of fecees.Parents do NOT put them in here,go to another school like ALA or NCS(neuse charter).
Submitted by parent on September 06, 2024

We love this school for our children. We’ve have had a great experience here. Our kids are so much happier and thriving here at JCA compared to their experience with Public School. The teachers this year are excited to be there and really love teaching which makes a huge difference in your children’s academic life. When we came last year the principal was new to the school and made some much needed changes to the school. These changes followed NHA protocols. Because of the pandemic and high turnover of Principals at the school before she came the school was in disarray in its structure and things that were against school policy were happening with parents encouraging the behavior and making the school environment worse. When the new principal started at the school a lot of parents gave her a hard time and lot of petty behavior. Eventually those unhappy and bitter families who wanted to be treated “special” or have rules broken for their familiesbecause they were at the school since it opened, learned that the new principal wasn’t going to let them walk all over her and do whatever they wanted so they left. They started a smear campaign on social media and other places to try to discredit all of the great work she’s done at our school. Some of them left without even giving her a chance. The school has been much better off this year in their absence. The drama has left the building! Before listening to bitter parents I would suggest taking a tour of our school and seeing what you personally think of it. We love it and we know that the grass is greenest where you water it and where you work in collaboration with your school to make it better.
Submitted by student on September 05, 2024

I love my school and my teacher
Submitted by parent on September 01, 2024

My child attended JCA for 6 years (2018-2024). JCA had large class sizes (24-33 students per teacher) last year. The school is too small to accommodate the number of students enrolled. The teachers were very overwhelmed and felt unsupported by admin. Several teachers had quit mid-school year causing a lot of instability for the students. There was an increase in bullying and behavioral issues last year and a lack of discipline for repeat offenders. Several parents withdrew their children mid-year due to the chaotic environment and what their children were getting exposed to at school. JCA has a legal team that gets them out of everything!Overall, JCA lacks communication, consistency, stability, and accountability. Also, the school doesn't have a cafeteria. Prepackaged subpar meals are delivered to the school to be reheated on site. No library. No transportation. Very little is offered at this school. The school is very dependent on chromebooks that the students don't know how to handwrite actual papers well. I am so glad I got my kid out when I did.
Submitted by parent on March 05, 2024

My 6th grader had been being bullied for a while and now being threatened to be jumped. She does not feel safe here and I don't blame her.
Submitted by parent on February 07, 2024

This is pretty bad school if your child is ADHD. They will punish him/her every silly thing and won’t accumulate. Management is not held accountable to any agency. Principal will abuse her power and there is nothing you can do.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2021

This school was good till middle school. Now they have a new dean that has no personality and lacks any type of emotions that would make a parent or student feel comfortable. She is more like a robot than a human. The fourth-grade Math teacher is also a parent there so God forbid you complain about or ask questions on the JCA parent page then she targets your kid. The Social Studies/ Science teacher tells the students they can hold their bladder for 6 hours..... Only letting them go to the restroom during transitions and if it's an emergency. She yells at the students and if they cry she tells them to go fix their face in the bathroom. She has her favorites so it makes other students feel not worthy and very confused. To top it all off she did not let my daughter call me after a head injury and my daughter told her she felt worse. This school does have some amazing teachers we were very lucky up until 4th grade. The front desk and most of the administrators were very helpful but overall I don't feel that my daughter is safe at this school physically and mentally any longer. Up until this year I felt like it was a private school I am very sad and disappointed how 2021 started I was thrilled to have new principal.
Submitted by parent on December 03, 2020

Raising the bar, management walking the walk!
Submitted by other on September 04, 2020

The school is definitely needed in our community. Hardworking teachers and a focused principal that cares about his students. That has grown a team that will only enhance our community for the better. Thank you.
Submitted by parent on September 04, 2020

Very disappointing. We were so excited when we won the "lottery." We quickly learned that JCA is just like every other school in the area, except for the parents are more engaged and seem to be much more involved and well off financially. This school is all about reputation, despite the fact that the reputation is not warranted. The scores are about average in comparison to surrounding schools and they don't have nearly the learning options that other schools do, especially in the areas of electives, foreign languages and STEM. High teacher turnover and poor opportunities were the reason we left this school. They also do not have an AIG program, which was a big disappointment.
Submitted by principal on August 27, 2020

Simply blessed based on the engaged & supportive parents and dedicated teachers at JCA along with a very supportive JCA Board of Directors, very competent leadership team AND the wonderful scholars we are privileged to serve. #JCAfamily #NHAmazing
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2020

4- context of material taught is poor but they claim it is rigorous.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2020

We have had a great experience at JCA thus far. Teachers are dedicated and always make learning fun! My child thrives in the workshop style of teaching. The students are always held to high moral standards as moral focus is part of their daily curriculum!
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2020

We love it at JCA. My child is thriving in school and we don't dread taking her in the morning or picking her up everyday. She feels safe and loved. Even teachers that are not her teachers, love my child. The sense of community is what will always keep us here.
Submitted by parent on August 25, 2020

Phenomenal! After a difficult experience with the public school system in Johnston County and the lack of communication by our zoned school we were so pleased to see how JCA runs! They effectively communicate, care for each student, and as a whole work to see each Bobcat succeed. So grateful for this school, the amazing teachers, and wonderful administrators!
Submitted by parent on August 25, 2020

We have had such a great experience so far and wouldn't trade it for anything. The students and staff are quite diverse in race and socioeconomic background 10/10