First Ward Creative Arts Academy
- Address
- 715 N. Caldwell St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Open in Maps → - Phone
- (980) 343-5485
- Grades served
- K-5
- NCES school ID
- 370297001211
School calendar
First Ward Creative Arts Academy's own events for the year — school events, holidays, breaks and teacher workdays — with a printable PDF and a calendar file you can subscribe to.
View the calendar →Location and nearby schools
10 nearestLoading the map…
- Piedmont Middle School0.6 mi
- Metro School0.9 mi
- Central Piedmont Early College0.9 mi
- Hawthorne Academy of Health Sciences1.0 mi
- Military and Global Leadership1.0 mi
- Elizabeth Traditional Elem1.0 mi
- Walter G. Byers School1.2 mi
- Irwin Academic Center1.2 mi
- Villa Heights Elementary1.2 mi
- Dilworth Elementary1.6 mi
How First Ward Creative Arts Academy compares
Its 2024–25 performance score of 53 against comparable schools. Percentile is the share of that group scoring lower.
Chronic absence is lower here than at 12% of the 2,482 North Carolina schools reporting it.
Performance score since 2014
Score up 1 points since 2014 (52 → 53). Met or exceeded expected growth in 7 of 10 years, exceeding it in 1. No grades were issued for 2020 or 2021.
| Year | Score | Grade | Growth | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 53 | D | Not Met | 50.9 |
| 2024 | 60 | C | Met | 56.2 |
| 2023 | 59 | C | Met | 53.8 |
| 2022 | 56 | C | Met | 49.1 |
| 2019 | 65 | C | Met | 60.1 |
| 2018 | 58 | C | Not Met | 58.8 |
| 2017 | 61 | C | Not Met | 60 |
| 2016 | 63 | C | Met | 61 |
| 2015 | 60 | C | Exceeded | 53 |
| 2014 | 52 | D | Met | 44 |
Rankings and trends are calculated by Back To School NC from NC DPI report card results; NC DPI publishes each school's own figures but not its standing among peers. See Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for district totals.
Student Demographics
Gender Distribution
Total Students: 421Student counts for First Ward Creative Arts Academy, 2024-2025, from the NCES Common Core of Data. Percentages are of 421 students and may not total 100% because of rounding.
Students
Student Population
Students Counted: 460Student indicators for First Ward Creative Arts Academy, 2024-2025, from the North Carolina School Report Cards. Attendance is out of the 460 students DPI counted. A student is chronically absent after missing 10% or more of the days enrolled; the other measures overlap it and each other.
Teachers
Licensing & Certification
Total Teachers: 26.6 FTETeacher figures for First Ward Creative Arts Academy, 2024-2025, from the North Carolina School Report Cards. Counts are full-time equivalents, not headcount. Licensing and certification percentages are each out of 26.6 FTE.
NC School Report Card
2024-2025Student performance by subject
| Subject | Grade-level proficient | Career & college ready |
|---|---|---|
| Science (grades 5 & 8) | 55.7% | 22.7% |
| Mathematics (grades 3–8) | 55.1% | 27.8% |
| Reading (grades 3–8) | 45.5% | 27.9% |
Grade-level proficient is levels 3–5; career and college ready is the higher bar of levels 4–5.
Achievement levels
| Subject | Not Proficient | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics (grades 3–8) | 44.9% | 27.3% | 22% | 5.7% |
| Reading (grades 3–8) | 54.5% | 17.6% | 22.1% | 5.7% |
| Science (grades 5 & 8) | 44.3% | 33% | 17.5% | 5.2% |
Academic growth
| Measure | Status | Growth index | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Does Not Meet Expected Growth | -4 | 60 |
Teachers
Reported as full-time-equivalent staff, so figures carry decimals.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Total teachers | 26.59 |
| Experienced teachers | 17.89 (67%) |
| Beginning teachers | 8.7 (33%) |
| Holding a standard license | 25.09 (94%) |
| Emergency or provisional licenses | 1.5 (6%) |
| National Board certified | 1.5 |
Students
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Chronically absent (175 of 460) | 38% |
| Economically disadvantaged | 71.6% |
| English learners making progress (of 15) | 66.7% |
School environment
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Devices per student | 0.61 |
| Library books per student | 16.08 |
| Students have device access | Yes |
| Devices may go home | No |
| Wireless access points per classroom | 2.31 |
Federal & state designations
| Designation | Applies |
|---|---|
| Low-performing school | Yes |
| Recurring low-performing | No |
| CSI — low performing | No |
| CSI — low graduation rate | No |
| TSI — at risk | Yes |
| TSI — consistently underperforming | No |
CSI is Comprehensive Support and Improvement; TSI is Targeted Support and Improvement, both federal ESSA categories.
Download this report card
First Ward Creative Arts Academy's 2024-2025 report card as an interactive PDF — bookmarked sections, donut and bar charts for performance, attendance and achievement levels, and the NC DPI and NCES sources cited with working links.
Other elementary schools in this district
All 186 schools →Albemarle Road Elementary
Allenbrook Elementary
Ashley Park PreK-8 School
Bain Elementary
Ballantyne Elementary
Barnette Elementary
Enrollment and staffing come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD), U.S. Department of Education for 2024-2025; performance, attendance and economic-need figures are the state's NC School Report Card for the same year. Contact the school to confirm current details.