Cape Fear Center for Inquiry, 2525 Wonder Way: a K-8 public charter school admitted by lottery, 395 students, a C (69) in 2025-26 state grades.

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Sources: Cape Fear Center for Inquiry, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data and the federal NCES school directory.

Cape Fear Center for Inquiry is a tuition-free public charter school for kindergarten through eighth grade on Wonder Way in Wilmington, inside the city limits. Charter schools are public schools run by their own boards under a state charter, not by New Hanover County Schools, so there is no attendance zone: families anywhere can apply, and seats are filled by lottery.

Who to call
Address 2525 Wonder Way, Wilmington, NC 28401
Phone 910-362-0000
Grades Kindergarten to 8
Type Public charter school
Admission Lottery

Enrollment and teachers

  • Federal count: 395 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 13 students per teacher. The 2023-24 count was 404.

How admission works

“Admission to CFCI is based on a lottery system, as required by state policy,” according to the school’s admissions page:

  • Applications open at the start of December and close in mid-February. The lottery runs on the third Wednesday of February. For 2026-27, applications closed Feb. 13, 2026, and the lottery ran Feb. 18.
  • Exceptions to the lottery, in order: currently enrolled students, children of CFCI staff, siblings of enrolled students in the same household, siblings of students who finished CFCI’s top grade after at least four grades there, and some returning students.
  • When a waitlist seat opens, families get 24 to 48 hours to enroll.

State report card

North Carolina grades every public school, charters included, from A to F. According to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s technical guide, 80% of the grade comes from an achievement score and 20% from students’ academic growth, on a 15-point scale.

School year Grade Score Growth
2025-26 C 69 Not met
2024-25 B 70 Met
2023-24 B 71 Met

From the state’s 2025-26 school assessment and indicator data:

  • 69% of state tests taken at CFCI were at grade level or above, against 59.2% statewide.
  • Reading, grades 3 to 8: 67.3% at grade level. Math: 65.5%.

The grades come from the state’s School Performance Grades dashboard data. The state’s interactive school report card for CFCI covers 2024-25.

Calendar

For school-year dates and breaks, see the school’s website.

More on Wilmington schools

  • Every public school in Wilmington, including the other charter schools
  • Our Wilmington schools guide for district enrollment and board meetings

Frequently asked questions

How do students get into Cape Fear Center for Inquiry?

By lottery. CFCI is a tuition-free public charter school; applications open at the start of December and close in mid-February, and the lottery runs on the third Wednesday of February. For 2026-27, it closed Feb. 13 and ran Feb. 18, 2026.

What grades does Cape Fear Center for Inquiry serve?

Kindergarten through eighth grade, with 395 students in the federal 2024-25 count.

What is Cape Fear Center for Inquiry’s school performance grade?

CFCI earned a C, with a score of 69, in North Carolina’s 2025-26 school performance grades, down from a B (70) in 2024-25.