Wilmington Preparatory Academy, 134 Cinema Drive: a K-8 public charter school, 91 students, an F (35) in North Carolina's 2025-26 school grades.

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Sources: Wilmington Preparatory Academy, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data and the federal NCES school directory.

Wilmington Preparatory Academy is a public charter school for kindergarten through eighth grade on Cinema Drive 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.

Who to call
Address 134 Cinema Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403
Phone 910-799-6776
Grades Kindergarten to 8
Type Public charter school

Enrollment and teachers

  • Federal count: 91 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. The 2023-24 count was 92.

How admission works

According to the school’s admissions page, families apply through an online application form and submit the documents it lists. The page says families can enroll online.

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 F 35 Not met
2024-25 D 46 Met
2023-24 D 45 Met

Wilmington Prep is on the state’s 2025-26 low-performing schools list, and on its list of continually low-performing charter schools, low-performing in 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.

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

  • 27.6% of state tests taken at the school were at grade level or above, against 59.2% statewide.
  • Reading, grades 3 to 8: 32.4% at grade level. Math: 21.1%.

The grades come from the state’s School Performance Grades dashboard data. The state’s interactive school report card 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

What grades does Wilmington Preparatory Academy serve?

Kindergarten through eighth grade. It is a public charter school at 134 Cinema Drive in Wilmington, with 91 students in the federal 2024-25 count.

What is Wilmington Preparatory Academy’s school performance grade?

Wilmington Prep earned an F, with a score of 35, in North Carolina’s 2025-26 school performance grades, down from a D (46). The state lists it as a continually low-performing charter school.

How do I enroll at Wilmington Preparatory Academy?

Through the online application on the school’s admissions page, or by calling 910-799-6776. As a charter school it has no attendance zone.