Inside Charlotte’s newest high school
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CMS’ newest high school is a record-setting 4 floors — and 3 other fun school design trends at Ballantyne Ridge High
As construction crews finish the exterior, teachers move into their classrooms today with the help of parent volunteers and members of the school’s sports teams. Principal Mike Miliote (pictured) is a familiar face to many school families — he previously led Jay M. Robinson Middle, which feeds into Ballantyne Ridge.
by Cristina Bolling
High schools look different these days.
With 10 days left until the start of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools 2024-25 school year, workers are hustling to polish off construction of the newest one in the district’s lineup — Ballantyne Ridge High School, which opens to students Aug. 26.
The school, which was designed to relieve overcrowding at South Mecklenburg High and Ardrey Kell High with its 100 classrooms and space for up to 2,500 students, has features built for modern times — with today’s teenagers and school district needs in mind.
It’ll open with just 1,550 students — there will be no senior class in its first year, and it will have a small junior class, as CMS gave juniors zoned for Ballantyne Ridge the option of moving to the new school or finishing high school in their original schools.
(Current enrollment figures show a freshman class of about 750, a sophomore class of about 500 and a junior class of about 260, according to principal Mike Miliote.)
The school will feature three International Baccalaureate programs and is expected to be accredited to offer the IB diploma program by the time incoming 9th-grade students reach 11th grade, which will give them the opportunity to earn the diploma if they choose that path.
Ballantyne Ridge is one of four new CMS school buildings opening this school year — and it’s the only new high school. The $159M school was built with bond money approved by voters in 2017.
On Thursday, Miliote (rhymes with “coyote”) and Dennis LaCaria, director of facilities management for CMS, offered a tour of the school and a rundown of what’s new about high schools these days.
◼️ It’s one towering school with a compact campus. Ballantyne Ridge is the first four-story school in CMS history — a design that came out of necessity, LaCaria said.