As a charter school, Woods is self-governed. This autonomy gives Woods opportunity for creativity and flexibility in our curriculum; and in turn, we offer tremendous options for our students. Woods' success is evident in the vibrant learning environments and lively engagement you see within our classrooms. Additionally, while we are hesitant to define ourselves by outside measurements, we are recognized by them– one recognition being US News & World Report’s ranking Woods in the top 1% of public high schools in the nation.

Woods' independence is what allows us to be the school we are, but it also comes with a price.

Charter schools are not eligible for local bond funds. As a result, our regular local and state funding only covers approximately 83% of our school budget.

The Woods Charter School Foundation works to bridge the gap between the funding shortage and what we need to make a Woods education a Woods education. This year, the goal for our Annual Fund is $400,000, and will be used to support the school in the way of:

Curricular Materials & Student Consumables: It takes a lot of money to outfit our K-12 school each year! Textbooks, workbooks, online programs, manipulatives, lab supplies . . . the list goes on. Our Annual Fund paid for over $80,000 of these supplies last year plus more than $20,000 in discretionary spending for our teachers and departments!

Professional Development: We believe the best teachers are those who are able to continue learning and growing throughout their careers. To help our teachers work towards their academic and professional goals, the Annual Fund pays for our faculty’s professional development. The Annual Fund supported close to $25,000 in professional development opportunities last school year, and hope to do more this year! We love seeing the knowledge and enthusiasm our teachers bring back to the students!

End-of-Year Faculty Supplement: Most parents are shocked to discover that our faculty are paid less than they would be at traditional public schools all around us. Our teachers are among the very best and brightest – any school would be lucky to have them. They choose to be at Woods because they believe in the Woods Way, but we don’t want their choice to be more of a financial hardship than it has to be. Last year, our Annual Fund was able to provide our largest end-of-year supplement to date – a total of $212,000, translating to over $2000 per full-time faculty member. However, our teachers are still underpaid when compared to their counterparts around the Triangle. We would love to be able to up that number this year and get closer to bridging the gap.

Other Supports: Throughout the year, Annual Fund dollars are used to support our faculty and students in other crucial ways; among those are financing teacher appreciation events, supplementing co-curricular clubs and managing Woods' JH Rentz Scholarship Fund.

We are hopeful for another successful year of Annual Fund giving and appreciate your support! To learn more about the Foundation, please contact Jessica Oliver at joliver@woodscharter.org or 919.960.5393.

You can make a donation by clicking here. The video below will tell you more about those donations at work!

Woods Charter School Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) organization (EIN # 32-0198253) and contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowable by law. Our address is 160 Woodland Grove Lane, Chapel Hill, NC 27516.