Charlotte Latin School

Charlotte Latin School is an independent, coeducational, non-sectarian day school located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1970 and serves about 1,500 students in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Independent Schools and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. History Development of Charlotte Latin School began in 1967, when a group of Charlotte citizens led by businessman Frank Thies undertook the planning of an independent, college preparatory school that would focus on traditional teaching methods and classical curriculum. The founders believed that the growing Charlotte area needed another school of the caliber of Charlotte Country Day School, which was at capacity and had a waiting list at the time. The founding group incorporated under the name Charlotte Latin School with a 13-member board of trustees: Carol Belk, Patrick Calhoun, Tom Creasy, Jr., Alan Dickson, Cam Faison, Catherine Faison, Betsy Knight, Bob Knight, John Pender, Howard Pitt, John Stedman and Janet Thies. The Latin name was chosen as a reference to the Boston Latin School, a New England school considered one of the best in the country that placed a strong emphasis on a traditional liberal arts education. In early 1970 the trustees mailed out 2,000 brochures to gauge community interest in the new school. After receiving adequate response the trustees secured approximately 50 acres of land near the intersection of Providence Road and Highway 51 in suburban Charlotte. Two buildings were constructed on the new Charlotte Latin campus in the summer of 1970. An advertisement seeking new faculty members yielded 200 applicants for 25 open positions. Charlotte Latin opened for its first school year in the fall of 1970 with 425 students in grades one through nine and Jeremiah Splaine as its first headmaster. In October 1970 a standard review by the Internal Revenue Service granted the school tax exempt status after it printed its non-discrimination policy in the local newspaper.