What Cornerstone Charter Academy does

Cornerstone Charter Academy (legally "Cornerstone Charter Academy: A Challenge Foundation Academy," DBA "CCA-CFA") is a tuition-free public charter school operating from a single campus at 7800 Airport Center Drive in Greensboro, North Carolina. It serves K-12 students through lottery-based open enrollment conducted via online applications, with separate admissions processes for elementary (K-5), middle school (6-8), and high school (9-12). The school's academic program is built on a three-pillar framework of rigorous academics, character education, and parental involvement, with instruction anchored in Core Knowledge Curriculum aligned to Common Core State Standards and supplemented by Singapore Math, Shurley English, and Compass Learning for differentiated instruction. Specialized programming includes the One 2 One device program for grades 7-12, NWEA MAP computer-adaptive testing starting in Kindergarten, Advanced Placement classes for college preparation, dedicated Exceptional Children services across 13 IDEA disability categories, and an NCHSAA-aligned athletics program. Marketing and enrollment are driven through organic community channels including social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), the school website, prospective parent tours, email newsletters, and parent-to-parent referrals.

The school is funded exclusively through per-pupil county, state, and federal tax allocations typical of North Carolina public charter schools. Marketing channels are organic and parent-driven: social media accounts, the school website at cornerstone.cfacademy.school, prospective parent tours segmented by grade band, virtual tour videos, and Director's newsletters. Distribution is single-campus and domestic, with no geographic expansion disclosed. Governance is provided by a seven-member Board of Directors (Cyndie Swindlehurst as President, Jonetta Appling as Secretary, with Liz Goetzinger, Ryan Homer, Aditya Pandit, Crystal Scillitani, and Andrew Wright as members) operating independently within the Challenge Foundation Academy network framework. Day-to-day leadership is provided by Director Joe Caraher, with Matthew Pugh (High School Principal), Hannah Cobb (MS Principal / Asst. Director of Leadership), Allyson Waller (Elementary Principal), John Lawrence (Athletic Director), and Jennifer Croatt (Operations Manager). No venture, private equity, or institutional investor ownership is indicated; no funding rounds, acquisitions, or material leadership changes have been disclosed.

Name

Cornerstone Charter Academy

Legal name

Cornerstone Charter Academy: A Challenge Foundation Academy

Website

https://cornerstone.cfacademy.school

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cornerstone Charter Academy is a tuition-free public charter school in Greensboro, North Carolina serving K-12 students through lottery-based enrollment, funded by per-pupil state and federal allocations and operated within the Challenge Foundation Academy network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Charter Schools (Single-Site) (EDAJACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ), Charter Special Education & Inclusive Programs (EDAJACAF)

Keywords

• K-12 charter school
• Public education services
• Character education program
• Special education services
• College preparatory curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Greensboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public School Funding: Charter schools are funded with county, state, and federal tax dollars through an allotment per enrolled student.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cornerstone Charter Academy is a tuition-free public charter school delivering K-12 education to students in Greensboro, North Carolina. Its core offering is a rigorous academic program built on the Core Knowledge Curriculum aligned to Common Core standards, paired with character education and meaningful parental involvement. The school also provides specialized programs including the One 2 One device program for grades 7-12, Exceptional Children special education services, AP classes, and an NCHSAA athletics program.

Product overview

Cornerstone Charter Academy is a tuition-free public charter school serving K-12 students in Greensboro, North Carolina. The school's academic program is built on the Core Knowledge Curriculum aligned to Common Core standards, supplemented by Shurley English, Singapore Math, and Compass Learning. The One 2 One device program provides technology to students in grades 7-12. The school offers comprehensive special education services through its Exceptional Children department, athletics under NCHSAA guidelines, and partnerships with multiple after-school care providers. AP classes are available for college-prep students. Character education emphasizing civic virtue and ethical behavior is integrated throughout the school alongside the academic program as one of three foundational pillars.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-12 Education Program Tuition-free public charter school education serving K-12 students in Greensboro, North Carolina, providing a rigorous academic program with Core Knowledge Curriculum aligned to state standards, character education, and parental involvement initiatives.
• One 2 One Program Technology device program that provides students in grades 7-12 with personal devices to support their academic work throughout the school day.
• Exceptional Children Services Special education services for K-12 students with disabilities including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Specific Learning Disability, Speech or Language Impairment, and other qualifying disabilities, including IEP development and least restrictive environment placement.
• Athletics Program Comprehensive athletics program offering varsity and middle school sports including baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, and volleyball, operating under NCHSAA guidelines.
• After School Programs School-coordinated after school care partnerships with various providers including Bre's Transportation, Cadence Academy, CARE Afterschool, Covenant Kids, Future Leaders Enrichment Academy, Milestones, Proehlific, and Spears Y.
• AP Classes Advanced Placement courses offered for high school students seeking college-level academic challenge, with summer work preparation provided.
• Character Education Program School-wide virtue of the month program with weekly character education lessons, participation in service projects, and volunteerism encouraged as one of three foundational school pillars.

Quantifiable outcome

• Consistently achieves B-range grades (74-81) on NC Report Cards across multiple years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• North Carolina Alliance for Public Charter SchoolsminorOthersMembership organization supporting public charter schools in North Carolina. CCA-CFA is a member of this alliance and the NC Public Charter Schools Association.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Uncommon Schools: Non-profit charter management organization operating college-prep public charter schools with rigorous academics and character development - comparable mission, public-funding model, and accountability framework.
• BASIS Charter Schools: National network of tuition-free public charter schools renowned for rigorous college-prep academics, AP-heavy curriculum, and high accountability outcomes - a benchmark 'gold standard' against which NC charters like Cornerstone are measured by college-focused parents.
• KIPP Public Schools: Largest US charter network operating tuition-free public charter schools with a college-prep mission and character education pillars - structurally analogous to Cornerstone but at national scale with substantially more resources and infrastructure.
• Achievement First: Multi-state charter network operating tuition-free public schools with explicit college-preparatory mission, character education, and parental engagement components - mirroring Cornerstone's three-pillar framework at network scale.

Direct peers

• Triad Math and Science Academy: NC public charter school with STEM/math-science emphasis and college-preparatory focus, serving similar Piedmont Triad region families seeking tuition-free rigorous alternatives to traditional public schools.
• Forsyth Academy: NC public charter school in the Piedmont Triad region offering a tuition-free college-preparatory program to K-12 students under similar state per-pupil funding dynamics and DPI accountability frameworks.
• Sugar Creek Charter School: North Carolina public charter school operating a K-12 tuition-free model with comparable curricular structure and NC-authorizer oversight, competing for similar parental demand for rigorous public alternatives.
• Greensboro Academy: Independent public charter school serving K-12 students in Greensboro, NC. Direct local competitor sharing the same metropolitan catchment, lottery-based enrollment, and tuition-free public charter model.
• Lake Norman Charter School: Well-established NC public charter school with a K-12 college-prep focus and tuition-free lottery enrollment, serving as a comparable single-authority charter operating under the same NC regulatory framework.

Others

• North Carolina Alliance for Public Charter Schools: Industry association of which Cornerstone is a member; provides advocacy, shared services, and policy support to NC charter operators - relevant as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cca_cfa
• Facebookfacebook.com/CCACFA
• Instagraminstagram.com/cca_cfa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cornerstone-charter-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cornerstone Charter Academy