• About CMCHS

    Cato Middle College High School is an honors-level dual-enrollment middle college high school for 11th and 12th graders in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district in Charlotte, NC. Cato Middle College High School also offers Grade 13 to provide students with an additional year to complete their Associate’s Degree. Cato Middle College High School opened in the fall of 2007 as part of the North Carolina governor’s initiative to place a middle college program in every county in North Carolina and is CMS’ first middle college program. CMCHS is located on Central Piedmont Community College’s Cato campus in Charlotte, NC. CMCHS requires a 2.8 un-weighted GPA or a 2.5 un-weighted GPA with qualifying test scores to be accepted into the program. Enrollment is capped at 100 students per grade level.

    About the Middle College initiative

    Middle Colleges are housed within post-secondary college campuses and allow students to earn substantial amounts of college credit for free while dually enrolled in high school. Cato Middle College High School students earn an average of 30 college credits at no charge by the time they graduate. Students may earn an Associate’s Degree while enrolled in high school but it is neither expected nor required. Sixty-seven 2023 Graduates earned Associate’s Degrees while enrolled at CMCHS, which consisted of 60 college credits. The college classes that students take transfer directly to the UNC system schools and many other independent schools in North Carolina

    Curriculum

    CMCHS is an honors-level middle college and offers only honors and Advanced Placement courses to students. Students are expected to complete their required high school graduation requirements with CMCHS teachers in the honors- or AP-format and take community college courses for their electives. Community college courses and AP courses receive 1 additional quality point, while high school Honors level courses receive 0.5 extra quality point.

    AP Courses Offered:

    • Calculus AB
    • Calculus BC
    • Earth/Environmental Science
    • English Language and Composition
    • English Literature and Composition

    Honors Courses Offered:

    • Common Core Math III (previously Algebra II)
    • Pre-Calculus
    • English III
    • English IV
    • Chemistry

    Awards, Honors, and Recognition

    • Ranked in the top 2022 high schools in Newsweek’s “America’s Best High Schools” publication
      • # 550 Nationally
      • #11 in North Carolina
      • #2 in Charlotte
    • CMCHS was recognized as a “CMS Honors School of Excellence with High Growth” under the North Carolina ABC Accountability Model
    • CMCHS has maintained a 100% graduation rate for 12 of the 14 years it has been in existence
    • Charlotte magazine recognized CMCHS as the best public high school in the Charlotte area

    Extracurricular Activities Offered 

    • CMCHS does not offer athletics
    • Students are allowed to participate in athletics, marching band and cheerleading at their home schools
    • CMCHS offers National Honor Society, Student Government Association, Yearbook, Cardinal Buddies (tutoring program with neighboring elementary school), and academic internships.
    • Students may also participate in the community college’s extracurricular activities

    High School Graduation Requirements

    • English – 4 units
    • Math – 4 units
      • Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II
      • One math unit above Algebra II
    • Science – 3 units
      • Biology, Earth/Environmental Science, Physical Science
    • Social Studies – 4 units
      • World History, Civics & Economics, American History I & II or AP U.S. History and 1 social science elective
    • Foreign Language – 2 units
    • Health/PE – 1 unit
    • General electives – 8

    Class Rank/GPA calculation

    • Quality points are assigned on the basis of
      • A=4 points
      • B=3 points
      • C=2 points
      • D=1 point
      • F=0 points
    • One additional quality point is added for honors and community college courses
    • Two additional quality points are added for Advanced Placement courses
    • The GPA is calculated by dividing the total quality points by the number of courses attempted
    • Credit and quality points are assigned at the conclusion of each semester
    • Class rank is according to descending weighted GPA

    Beginning with students entering 9th grade in the 2015-2016 school year, Advanced Placement and community college courses will be given one additional quality point. Honors courses will be awarded 0.5 quality point.

    Grading Scale

    Numerical grades are reflected on the high school transcript and the following grading scale is used:

    • A = 90-100
    • B = 80-89
    • C = 70-79
    • D = 60-69
    • F = Below 60

    *Community college courses are sent to CMCHS as letter grades Community college courses are converted to

    • A= 95
    • B=85
    • C=75
    • D= 65
    • F= 55

    Due to Covid-19, transcripts for the 2019-2020 school year may reflect grades denoted as WC19 or PC19 as directed by the NC State Department of Public Instruction.

    PC19 indicates the student passed and received credit for the course. WC19 indicates the student withdrew from the course. The PC19 and WC19 grades do not impact GPA calculations.

    Post-Secondary Data

    CMCHS students have been accepted to the following schools:

    • American University of Paris
    • American University
    • Appalachian State University
    • Boston University
    • Brandeis University
    • California Polytechnic State University
    • California State University
    • Fresno
    • Campbell
    • Case Western Reserve University
    • College of Charleston
    • Clark Atlanta
    • Clemson
    • Cornell
    • Davidson
    • University of Denver
    • Duke
    • East Carolina
    • Elizabeth City State
    • Elon
    • Fayetteville State
    • Georgetown
    • Georgia State
    • Hampden-Sydney College
    • Jacobs University
    • James Madison University
    • Loyola University of Chicago
    • Marist, Marshall
    • Milwaukee School of Engineering
    • Morehouse
    • N.C. Central
    • N.C. A & T
    • N.C. State
    • New College of Florida
    • Northeastern University
    • Queens
    • San Diego State University
    • Savannah College of Art and Design
    • Spelman
    • Suffolk University – Madrid Campus
    • Sweet Briar
    • UNC Asheville
    • UNC Chapel Hill
    • UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro
    • UNC Pembroke
    • UNC Wilmington
    • Univ. of South Carolina
    • Virginia Tech
    • Western Carolina
    • Winston-Salem State
    • Wingate
    • Wofford

    Contact Information:

    Physical Address / Mailing Address

    • 8120 Grier Rd.Charlotte NC 28215  
    • P.O. Box 35009 Charlotte NC 28235

    Principal – Alicisa Johnson – Alicisa.johnson@cms.k12.nc.us

    Counselor – Keith Smith – keithl.smith@cms.k12.nc.us

    Website

    Phone

    • (980) 343-1452

    Fax

    • (980) 343-1453