71 apply to open charter schools in North Carolina

Seventy-one organizations have applied to open charter schools in North Carolina in 2015-16. The Charlotte Observer says the current round of applications includes 19 for Mecklenburg County, eight each for Wake and Durham counties, and three each for Gaston, Cabarrus, Iredell and Union counties. The charter school movement has been gaining momentum in North Carolina since the state lifted the cap on such schools in 2011. The state now has 127 charter schools, and 26 more are slated to open in August 2014.