A North Carolina Charter School

 Out-of-the-Box Education

The Learning Center! mission is threefold: 

1. To provide each student in our care with individually designed instruction which takes into account his/her developmental level and learning style. 
2.  To promote healthy self-esteem based on real academic progress and responsible membership in a community. 
3.  To produce independent learners and problem solvers who are well prepared to succeed in the other academic settings they will enter.

The school was originally founded in 1983 as a private school by Mary Jo Dyre. In 1997 a team of interested staff and parents applied to become a charter school, receiving one of the first 34 charters granted in the state of North Carolina.  Historically The Learning Center! has not been a traditional school.  Some of our classes are multi-grade and grade groupings fluctuate from year to year to accommodate assignments based on students’ needs and changes in enrollment.  Individualized instruction and assignments based on students’ ability levels and interests are the norm rather than the exception.  The physical layouts of the classrooms are reflective of the diverse approaches to the many learning styles that are addressed on a daily basis. 

The "Four Blocks" multi-learning style approach to individualized instruction and assignments are based on each student's ability level and interest.  As often as possible, our environment is very fluid; students have choices about where they may work and often you will find older students mentoring younger ones.  We work toward creating a sense of community and instilling in our students a sense of responsibility to that community.