American Renaissance Middle School is an outgrowth of American Renaissance Charter School. ARCS opened in 1998 and the founding members of ARCS had a vision for the future and a separate charter was written for American Renaissance Middle School. The school opened in August 1999 with 120 pioneers. The school was temporarily located at 229 Tradd Street (The location of the new Iredell County Library). The “car dealership” showed students, parents and staff that school is not a building, but the people who bring it to life.
The school occupied the current location at 217 South Center Street on March 11, 2000. The school has steadily grown to a population of 179 students and we are enjoying the brothers and sisters of a number of our original “pioneers”.
American Renaissance Middle School purchased the building located on South Center Street on January 21, 2005. The school would like to thank William L. Jackson, LLC for the tremendous support that they provided as the school grew from concept to reality. William L. Jackson, LLC members are Bill MacMillan, Bill Pope, Bill Taylor and Brian Chapman.
American Renaissance Middle School has developed a strong academic program, growing from a score of 62 on the NC ABC’s in 2000 to a score of 86.7 in 2005: this represents the third highest score for middle schools in Iredell County. We continue to have the highest ABC scores north of Hwy 150.
On July 1, 2007, a dream of a merged K-8 school was realized. Through the work and dedication of an independent research committee and the boards of ARCS and ARMS the dream was realized. Representative Karen Ray was the driving force behind HB 484 and it was a landmark day for the American Renaissance community when the bill passed the legislature. We are the first merged charter schools in the history of North Carolina. We are excited about the learning possibilities that are ahead of us.
The school continues to look at its own strengths and weaknesses in an effort to offer the strongest academic program possible. ARMS has a strong emphasis on the whole child as an individual.
The “best kept secret” in town continues to grow and develop in an effort to be the greatest educational opportunity for kids.
Scholarship: American Renaissance Middle School is a North Carolina School of Choice and is a tuition free school.
ARMS Graduate Scholarship: The annual scholarship is presented to a student who has completed ARMS and plans to attend a community college or four year university. The scholarship is based on an essay and involvement in high school. The current value of the scholarship is $1000.00.