Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School, 10510 Star Road: grades K-8, 720 students in 2024-25, a C (57) state grade.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the school’s website and admission page; the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2024-25 report card data and 2025-26 school assessment workbook; the federal NCES school directory.
Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School is a tuition-free public charter school for kindergarten through eighth grade on Star Road that teaches the state curriculum using the Montessori approach and Spanish. It was founded in 2003 and calls itself “Wake County’s only Dual-Language Montessori School,” according to its website. It also runs a private preschool for ages 3 and 4. It is not part of the Wake County Public School System: it has no attendance zone, and students are admitted by application and lottery.
Who to call
- Front office: 919-855-9811, 10510 Star Road
- School website: cemcs.org
- Admission: the school’s admission page
- Zoned WCPSS school for an address: the district’s base school lookup
| Address | 10510 Star Road, Wake Forest, NC 27587 |
| Phone | 919-855-9811 |
| Grades | Kindergarten to 8 |
| Operator | Public charter school (not WCPSS) |
| State school code | 92R000 |
Leadership
The school’s leadership team page lists GeRita Connor as executive director and leadership consultant, Wendy Pineda as director of pre-K to fifth grade and Meggan Matson as director of sixth to eighth grades and exceptional children.
Enrollment and teachers
- State count: an average daily membership of 720 students in the 2024-25 school year, up from 641 in 2023-24, according to the state’s report card data.
- Federal count: 668 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 38 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 18 students per teacher.
State report card
North Carolina grades every public school, charter schools included, A to F. The grade is based 80% on student achievement and 20% on academic growth, according to the state’s 2025-26 annual testing report. For this school, achievement is measured mainly by the state’s end-of-grade reading, math and science tests.
| School year | Grade and score | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | C (57) | Met |
| 2023-24 | C (57) | Not met |
The 2024-25 grade is the latest in the state’s downloadable report card data. The state released 2025-26 test results in September 2026; from its 2025-26 school assessment workbook:
- At grade level or above, all state tests: 63.6% (statewide: 59.2%)
- College and career ready (Level 4 and above): 34.9%
- Growth: exceeded expected growth
- Reading, grades 3 to 8: 64.9% at grade level or above; math: 60.8%
The full report card, with class sizes, teacher data and school safety figures, is on the state’s NC School Report Cards site.
Admission
Admission is by an annual lottery run through the Lotterease system. Only North Carolina residents may apply. Priority goes to siblings of current students, children of full-time employees and a few other groups set by state law, according to the school’s admissions page. The lottery opens in the first 10 days of January and runs no later than the last 10 days of February; later applications go to the end of the waiting list.
Starting in 2026-27, all kindergartners enter a dual language program taught in English and Spanish. For first through eighth grade there are two programs with separate lotteries: Enrichment, taught in English with weekly Spanish, and Immersion, taught in Spanish with English literacy added by grade band.
District attendance zones do not apply. To find the WCPSS school an address is zoned for instead, use the district’s base school lookup.
Calendar and bell times
Casa Esperanza sets its own calendar, separate from the district’s. Coming dates on its calendar page:
- Oct. 5-18: fall intersession; students return Monday, Oct. 19, according to a notice on the school’s website
More
- The school’s own website
- Every public school in Wake Forest, with zones and report cards
- Our Wake Forest schools guide for district calendars, enrollment dates and the school board
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School serve?
Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School serves kindergarten through eighth grade. It is a tuition-free public charter school, not part of WCPSS.
What is Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School’s school grade?
Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School earned a C, with a score of 57, in North Carolina’s 2024-25 School Performance Grades. In 2025-26, 63.6% of its state tests were at grade level or above and it exceeded its growth target.
How do I get into Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School?
Apply through the school’s online lottery, which opens in the first 10 days of January and closes no later than the last 10 days of February. Grades 1 to 8 have separate lotteries for the Enrichment and Immersion programs.
Have your say