Governor's School of North Carolina

The Governor's School of North Carolina is a four-week summer residential program for students who exhibit gifts and talents in various academic and artistic domains, with students attending classes and living on a college campus for the duration of the experience. The curriculum focuses on the exploration of the most recent ideas and concepts in each discipline, and does not involve credit, tests, or grades. 

The Governor's School is the oldest statewide summer residential program for gifted and talented high school students in the nation. All school districts in North Carolina participate in the Governor's School process, with students from around North Carolina participating each summer. This year, Governor's School West will be located at Greensboro College and Governor's School East will be at Meredith College. 

To see a bit about the Governor's school experience, check out this brief informational video! 

Mark your calendars: An information session willbe held on October 9^th, 2024 at 6:00pm at Central Cabarrus High School Auditorium. 

Student Eligibility Requirements

To apply for Governor’s School a student must: 

• Be a North Carolina Resident
• Attend a North Carolina public or non-public school, and
• Be enrolled in 11^th grade at the time of nomination, unless they are applying for Dance, Choral Music, or Instrumental Music, which can be 10^th & 11^th grade
• Students applying in Spanish must have completed at least three high school Spanish courses prior to attending Governor’s School or be a fluent or native Spanish speaker
• Meet at least one of the criteria listed below:
  • Cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.25 or higher:
  • Cumulative weighted GPA of 3.5 or higher
  • Score of 4 or higher on an NC End of Course assessment
  • Score of 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement exam
  • Grade of B or higher in a Career College Promise course on the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement, or a University Course
  • Minimum composite score of 19 on the Pre-ACT/ACT or a minimum score of 1010 on the PSAT/SAT
  • Minimum score of 90^th percentile on aptitude assessment (composite or stubtest

Areas of Nomination

The NC Governor’s School has 2 tracks of nomination for students: Academic and Arts 

The Academic Disciplines available in Governor’s School are:                       

• English                                                 
• Spanish 
• Mathematics
• Natural Science
• Social Science

The Arts Disciplines availalbe in Governor’s School are:

• Art
• Choral Music
• Instrumental Music
• Dance
• Theater

*Please note that 10th grade students are only allowed to apply for a discipline within the Arts (Dance, Choral Music & Instrumental Music.)

To discover more information about Governor's School please visit their website.

Application Must Include:

• Student Application 

• Teacher Recommendation Form  

  • 2 Teacher Recommendations

    • At least 1 of the recmmendation forms must be from a current or former high school teacher in the subject area of nomination

    • No attached letters - They must use the Governor’s School recommendation form ONLY and it must be typed. The form should not be sent from the teacher to the student. The teacher must email or deliver this form to the student’s school counselor by November 15^th 2024. 

      • Last Name (A-D), Ms. Ligon, ashley.ligon@cabarrus.k12.nc.us

      • Last Name (E-K) Ms. Clinkscales, jada.clinkscales@cabarrus.k12.nc.us

      • Last Name (L-Q) Ms. Cauthen, amanda.cauthen@cabarrus.k12.nc.us

      • Last Name (R-Z) Mr. Farmer, james.farmer@cabarrus.k12.nc.us

Deadline to Apply:

November 15, 2024— Completed application materials must be emailed or delivered to your school counselor by the end of the day.  This is the deadline for the CMHS portion of the selection process.  

Governor’s School Student Application & Selection Process:

Students go through a local and state nomination process.

Timeline Overview:

• Student attends Governor’s School Interest Meeting or contacts school counselor to determine eligibility
• November 15: Applications and 2 recommendation forms are due to school counselors
• Applications are reviewed and submitted to local school district selection committee 
• Mid December: Students will receive a letter and be notified if their application has been selected to move on for state nomination
• Early March: Governor’s School selections will be announced 
• April 2025: Selected students will notify the NC Department of Public Instruction of their decision to accpt or decline the invitation to attend the NC Governor’s School. (*Students are not permitted to enroll or expect to participate in other activities, such as online courses or athletic training, during the Governor’s School session.)
• Mid-June, 2025- Mid-July, 2025: NC Governor's School Session

Governor’s School Resources

Please review the following resources for Governor’s School 2025:

Video Recording                     Family Overview Flyer- English                  Family Overview Flyer- Spanish                         Application Process