Socrates Academy in Matthews | Military Town Advisor

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	10/10	The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 North Carolina End-of-Course Tests data from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and using 2025 North Carolina End-of-Grade Tests data from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
College Readiness	9/10	The College Readiness Rating uses this high school's graduation rates, college entrance exam participation and performance, or AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment participation to determine how well schools are preparing students for success in college and beyond. The College Readiness Rating was created using the following data from the 2021 Civil Rights Data Collection: percentage of students enrolled in IB, AP or Dual Enrollment classes in grades 9-12, using 2025 4-year high school graduation rate data from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, using 2025 Average ACT score data from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, using 2025 ACT percent college ready data from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and using 2025 demographic data from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
Student Growth	7/10	The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2024 Student growth data from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Posted: June 14, 2026

The school totally fell apart. Good teachers are gone and the ones that stay are administrators favorites. They promise programs that are NOT delivered for students with special needs in kindergarten. The needs wre not met. Its a toxic space
There are way better options than this school so just look eltswhere.

Posted: May 24, 2026

Socrates Academy has been one of the worst decisions I have made for my childs education. The middle school environment is deeply concerning and, in my experience, toxic. There are clear and ongoing issues with bullying between students, and what is most alarming is the lack of meaningful intervention. In some cases, it feels as though inappropriate behavior is ignored or tolerated within the classroom setting.
Academically, the middle school does not meet the standards one would expect from a school that presents itself as an academy. The structure, expectations, and overall educational quality fall short, leaving students unsupported and disengaged.
Additionally, there are serious concerns about the culture within certain programs, particularly the Greek program. The teaching approach can come across as overly harsh and, at times, disrespectful. There also appears to be noticeable favoritism, which creates an unfair and discouraging environment for students.
Overall, this school has significant issues with both its culture and academic quality. Families should carefully consider these concerns, as students deserve a safe, respectful, and supportive environment to learn and growsomething that, unfortunately, has not been my experience here.

Posted: March 19, 2026

I can't speak to the educational experience, but my experience trying simply to tour the middle school supports the reviews that suggest that parents (and future parents) are treated dismissively. I arrived about 5 minutes before the tour was to begin (it was a 10:00 tour). I was buzzed into the vestibule where I used my ID to create a pass. I then rang the bell to the inside door and was told to sit in the vestibule and the tour guide would come get me when they were ready. At 10:15, after no contact from anyone, I started to gather my things to leave. A woman walked into the vestibule (from outside) and asked if I was there for a tour. I said I was, but that I had to go now. She apologized for being late and told me I could call for a private tour of the middle school. We are very high (within 10) on the middle school waitlist and were seriously considering taking the spot should we move up and be offered admission. Unfortunately, my experience sitting in the vestibule on a very cold day with no one showing any consideration for my comfort or my time makes me think maybe this school is not the right fit for us.

Posted: October 4, 2025

The teachers are very mean and do not teach the kids whatsoever. they just give them homework. Also the school cant keep a teacher for more than 2 years before on quits

Posted: September 10, 2025

Good school. We are super happy that our kid goes to this school.

Posted: September 8, 2025

We have been at Socrates for 6yrs now, and its the best decision we made for our children's education. This is a wonderful school community, great teachers and wonderful Administration. My children are doing well at the school, the principal responses to message even with her busy schedule, I have always had positive experiences with the administration. I will highly recommend this school!

Posted: September 8, 2025

Our children attended this school, and unfortunately, our experience was very disappointing. The principal is a rude and unprofessional woman who ignores parents concerns and does not respond to requests. The professionalism of some teachers is also questionable: my child was forced to sit alone in the hallway to work on math because the teacher decided it would be better for the class. To make matters worse, there was a lockdown while my child was sitting alone in the hallway.

Lockdowns seem to happen at this school far too often, creating unnecessary stress. It also feels like if you dont participate financially or volunteer regularly, you are automatically seen as a bad parent.

I would not recommend this school to parents who value professionalism and the safety of their children.

Posted: September 1, 2025

Parents, if you would like to be a stakeholder in your childs education or the environment they learn in, dont send your child to Socrates Academy. This school is run (very inefficiently) by a bunch of narcissists that believe they know whats best for your child academically, mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Posted: July 21, 2025

If you ever 'win' the lottery at this school, pls reconsider. Read the reviews before deciding to enroll your children.

The image the school portrays does not match up to reality. 'The Honor School of Excellence' - nowhere in sight, but that's the branding you will see to 'win' you over.

The school receives millions in grants, but they won't invest in a crossing guard for the safety of walkers and to ease the carpool flow. Despite the parent handbook they have, they do nothing about bullying incidents. Also, there is definitely favoritism at this school. Unless your child is Greek, they will be overlooked for any academic recognition or otherwise.

Also, the school has a way of binding you by mandating parents to 36 hours of service each school year so you definitely get to know the school and its inner workings well and when you do, the student attrition, teacher attrition etc all make sense. You will wonder why you ever signed up for this school!

Apart from a handful of standout teachers, the school is a HARD pass.

Posted: February 12, 2025

This school has been a complete letdown for both parents and students. The administration is incredibly dismissive of parent concerns and seems completely uninterested in working together to create a positive learning environment. When issues arise, they immediately blame parents instead of addressing the root causes of problems. Its clear that the school operates with a chaotic and disorganized approach, with no real plan for improving things.

There is a strong sense of favoritism here, especially when it comes to extracurricular activities like sports. The athletic director is blatantly biased, giving certain students special treatment while disqualifying others with no clear or fair reason. This has created a toxic environment of unfairness and frustration among families.

Furthermore, there is a real atmosphere of intimidation. If you dare to speak up about issues, be prepared for retaliationboth toward you and your child. The administration does not hesitate to target those who voice concerns, making it a miserable and stressful environment for families.

Despite the administrations promises about building a new school and gym, its clear they have no financial plan to make this happen. They continue to sell this idea to prospective parents, giving false hope about improvements that will never materialize.

My advice is simple: dont send your child here. This school is poorly managed, unresponsive to parents, and creates an overall miserable experience. There are better options out theretake your child elsewhere where they will be valued and supported.

Posted: December 16, 2024

Dont recommend it as my kid always complains abou this

Posted: March 16, 2024

Socrates Academy is an excellent community charter school. Our son had an excellent middle school experience here. The school has a small community feel where students can participate in a wide range of activities. Greek culture and language is central to the schools identity but all cultures and ethnicities are welcomed.

Posted: January 9, 2023

Our kids have been going to Socrates since Kindergarten and are now in 8th grade. I can honestly say it was the best choice for them. The academics are top notch, especially in math. We have loved the warmth and personal attention, the small class sizes, the excellent and creative teachers and we love our current principal. She has made the school much more organized and put programs into place that have strengthened the overall character of the school. They teach children to have a growth mindset and that learning takes place everywhere. They have a full hour for lunch and recess, which I've heard is not the norm at many schools. They have a good music and band program, they learn poetry and dancing as part of their Greek classes and all in all, I think the school cares about students' emotional growth and mental heath as much as their academic growth.

Posted: September 5, 2022

Great school with great emphasis on learning. My kids have progressed so much in their academics since they have been here. They are actually learning science which is something that their last school lacked. My kids love this school and their test scores have been excellent since they have been at Socrates.

Posted: April 29, 2022

Our daughter was at a local, top-ranked, public elementary school in a district where I served (prior to her birth) as a school psychologist. Although her old school has an excellent reputation with a caring staff, it was not a good fit for her. She developed a school phobia and her psychologist recommended switching schools, feeling that her teachers were not meeting her specific needs. As a gifted student with anxiety, we needed a school that could address both her academic and emotional needs. We also didn't care for the heavy emphasis on teaching to the test in the public schools. We transferred our daughter to Socrates Academy. It was a difficult decision moving from a very reputable public school to a charter school but we are so happy we did. She is truly blossoming! Her attendance is excellent (she wakes up early because she wants to be the first one at school and she begs me to pick her up late so she can be one of the last students to leave). Her standardized test scores, which were always excellent, have showed "high growth", demonstrating that not only has she maintained her academic performance but that her new educational environment has allowed her to make additional strides. She has made friends, has become actively involved in her school (was voted into student council and is in band), and really loves school now.

Posted: April 28, 2022

Socrates' leadership is extremely leftist in the ideology they will impose on your children, you, and your teachers. They allow everything from gender confusion to CRT to anything. Their governors/board are either clueless or from academic institutions and bear values that are the antithesis of traditional Christian, family, Greek, American values. The school administration (principal etc) will ignore you and the board will ignore you. The teachers are largely helpless. Our child was removed from the school as a result. We observed how much this institution damaged our children and others. Many were in counseling, gender confused, and much more. At the school dance, kids were cross dressed or worse. Parents remarked how heart-breaking it was to see how dysfunctional this institution is. When you try to engage the leadership about issues, they deny, plead ignorance, or avoid the issue but when you offer facts and evidence, they dismiss it. What the governors are doing here is not by accident. We told the leadership that many families would be pulling out as a result. They called us liars even as we were pulling our own child out.

The damage to our child was very, very great and may affect them for all of their life. Our child is no longer in this school. It took only one year, one year for them to hurt our child and our family. When you hear the words of any school representative telling you things you want to hear, do not believe them. The turnover at this school is extremely high. It is for a reason.

People leave public school for something better. This is not it.

Posted: April 12, 2022

Current principal is hardly responsive to concerns from parents and guardians. Extremely hard to reach for one-on-one discussions. Also, she has quite poor communication skills overall.

Posted: April 7, 2022

Horrible experience. The administration acts as if they know whats best for your childs well-being, even if it is completely against parents wishes, morals, and values. Teachers attempt to indoctrinate students on social/political issues with no recourse. As soon as we pulled our child out of this school, his mental health improved drastically.

Posted: October 21, 2021

I previously reviewed this school on July 3, 2013. Im here to share our perspective as of 2021.

This is no longer the nurturing school with a focus on academic excellence we fell in love with. Under current leadership, theres been an exodus of highly-qualified, passionate teachers and a swift decline into the agenda-driven focus available in many public schools.

We chose Socrates for our children because we believe in the core value of respecting diversitywe believe this also includes diversity of thought. We thought a language immersion program would cultivate open minds, and teach children to see the beauty in our differences. We expected better from Socrates, and it is disappointing to realize we chose poorly.

SAs mission used to be to cultivate critical thinking skills and teach children HOW to think. Now they are happy to teach your child WHAT to think. My students have had to sit through classes which they are told what news outlets they should consider trustworthy. They have been given assignments on current events in which they are told there are two sides to every storythen they are presented with two homogenous sources of material that agree in every respect.

When only one viewpoint is presented by an authority figure in a school setting, it indicates diversity of thought is unwelcome. Students whose opinions differ from the sole presented viewpoint feel isolated and judged, which is the opposite of SAs alleged core values of kindness, empathy and respecting diversity. No student deserves to know their school is not a safe place where beliefs can be openly expressed, and that their teachers think there is only one correct way to view things. Sadly, this is exactly the sort of place SA has become.

When we started at Socrates, we hoped there would be a high school for our children. Now there is a high school, but my students will not attend. We are done with the school we've called home for over 9 years.

My advice to parents is to look elsewhere if youre seeking a school that teaches analytical thinking and strives for academic excellence. Socrates today is all about the same agenda-driven education youll find anywhere. A sad decline from what this school once was.

Posted: October 7, 2020

There is a very strong focus on character building. The day starts with group discussions on Socrates core values.

Posted: October 7, 2020

The principal is very accessible and responds directly to questions. 2020-2021 is her first year in this position and she is navigating these difficult times like a pro.

Posted: October 7, 2020

The team has assisted us every step of the way to ensure our son receives special services.

Posted: October 7, 2020

Yes. We have had a few issues on the playground that were handled swiftly and effectively. The issues individual issues did not repeat themselves.

Posted: October 7, 2020

Homework is limited. We appreciate the focus Socrates has put on family time and outdoor play for students.

Posted: October 7, 2020

We are in our third year and all our teachers have been top notch. They care deeply for the students and go above and beyond in every way.

Posted: October 7, 2020

We would rate our experience high above our expectation. I especially enjoy the close community that is created between parents, teachers and administration.

Posted: October 3, 2020

This school uses bully tactics while simultaneously telling students now to use them. This creates an awful environment full of sneaky people who create groups to bully one another.

Posted: October 3, 2020

The vice principal, now principal is highly unprofessional and inept in every way.

Posted: October 3, 2020

Telling autistic students that you will chop off their flapping hands if they dont stop is not how you handle learning differences. The EC teacher flat out told me that school administrators did not know what they were doing when it came to educating those with learning differences.

Posted: October 3, 2020

The teachers and administrators themselves are the biggest perpetrators of bully tactics to gain control. Students follow their lead. My child was treated awfully at this school.

Posted: October 3, 2020

Terrible. Dont fall for the image that has been carefully curated online. This school delivers very little of what they advertise.

Posted: October 3, 2020

They utilize outdated methods of fear and coercion. Greek teachers, in particular, are lacking in skill. The other teachers are mostly green and learning as they go.

Posted: June 4, 2020

We just completed kindergarten and very excited about the next school year!

Posted: June 4, 2020

The teachers at this school were ahead of other area schools with distance learning and we are highly impressed with how they handled the last quarter of this school year

Posted: June 4, 2020

Great teachers! Very dedicated to the kids

Posted: May 2, 2020

My husband went on a 4th grade school trip to the state capital the teachers had zero control over unruly students and transportation company bus driver had to stop the bus to gain control. My 1st grade student was was tormented by other students daily due to his neurological differences. Administrators ignored all acts of unkindness in this regard.

Posted: May 2, 2020

The administrators only want to be told they are doing a wonderful job 100% of the time. If you bring concerns to their attention they will dismiss them or attempt to make you and your children the problem.

Posted: May 2, 2020

Children were running up to my son and yelling in his face to get a reaction from him. My son was diagnosis led Him to make involuntary noises or say inappropriate things when anxious or in this case, purposely overloaded. The school tried to ignore this by telling me my son was just popular. One reason for his popularity was that they removed him from educational placement often. They passed him around to various upper level classrooms because they didnt know what else to do with him and/or they were short staffed

Posted: May 2, 2020

An absolute nightmare.
As if the above is not enough, the school administrators act as if they are doing you a favor by allowing your student to attend. Its as if they think this is somehow not a taxpayer funded charter school.
Be prepared to pay for everything. I tallied our costs for 2 students and we spent well over $2,000.
Uniforms (I bought 2nd hand), school trips cost more because they have to hire buses, school supplies, school fees nearly $300, you have to print everything! On top of that they hound you all year long for more time, more donations, more money to their annual fund. We have no problem investing time and money but the return on investment was nil.

Posted: May 2, 2020

Average homework
Parents have to print most materials as school lacks resources

Posted: May 2, 2020

Many teachers are not certified teachers. Many of the schools Greek teachers dont speak the language very well or seem to know how to manage a classroom full of children.

Posted: October 19, 2018

So happy we made the choice of Socrates Academy. Its has been a great experience so far!

Posted: September 22, 2017

Great school!
We are extremely happy with the teachers and staffs.

Posted: September 22, 2017

Posted: September 19, 2017

Teachers go above and beyond to understand the strengths and weaknesses for every student and develop a personalized plan to help them overcome any academic obstacle(s).

Posted: September 19, 2017

Posted: July 31, 2017

Great School! We have both of our Children enrolled and we are extremely happy with the overall support.

Posted: November 22, 2014

Great school.. great staff! Hope a highschool is in the plans for the future! We love Socrates!

Posted: October 11, 2014

We decided to pull out because of the lack of support on bullying situations. There are no rules, consequences of any sort and they seem to fosture inappropriate behaviors with a meer warning, or write up on the board. This has become a serious issue nationally, so we cannot sit back and promote this for our children. The school had started off as a positive experience and has quickly fallen off, with lack of trained individuals teaching. It's a shame, the kids are really losing out in this school as well as a few very talented and caring individuals there teaching, that really deserve more.

Posted: August 31, 2014

This school is amazing. My daughter just started 7th grade and all she could talk about was her science teacher, Mr. Latzos. From carpool all the way to the house, all she could talk about was how he really made her think about science and the cool demonstrations he would do. She likes her other teachers too this year but could not stop talking about this Mr. Latzos. Socrates Academy is lucky to have a teacher like him on their staff and our kids are lucky to have him as a teacher. Looking forward to a great year!! Apparently my daughter is not the only one who thinks the same about Mr. Latzos. Socrates Academy, you've got yourself a local celebrity who gets results. Keep him around as long as possible.

Posted: August 19, 2014

Socrates Academy is a great school. This past year was my girls first year there and they loved it. They did have some bullying going on but once I talked to the teachers about this, it was immediately handled. I was impressed because coming from another school, this would not have happened. The teachers are outstanding and go above and beyond for these students.

Posted: May 12, 2014

Highly respected select few great teachers, PFI, and parents who give everything to keep this school together. Since inception the school has been unable to control bullying, teacher-bullying, inappropriate behavior, language and explicit social-media usage. The leadership and teachers blame the NC State rules for constraining them. The Greek Founders and Board of Trustees, focus their priorities on their fund-raising foundation, operated autonomously and modeled after the Greek Banking System. This has resulted in disproportionate debt and this prohibits the select deserving teachers to be paid and reimbursed accordingly. Altogether a rare cultural Greek immersion experience.

Posted: April 8, 2014

This educational environment is so unprofessional and stressful for the kids and the educators, that makes me wonder "who can stand it?". The English program is pretty good, some of the American teachers are trying, but the Greek program is totally disorganized. My husband has Italian origin and he says that it's a Greek mentality not to have any specific Curriculum. My child had a Greek teacher who cried in the classroom every day, till she eventually went back to Greece. During this specific year my student changed 5 Greek teachers. I am surprised that most of the students speak very limited Greek, even if they have been attending since ever. I don't think that the Greek teachers are real educators or they can offer any high-level knowledge. Other parents say that the school used to be better in the past, the administrators were always very unprofessional though. If I had the chance to take my child from there and enroll it to another charter school, I'd do it now. It's my husband who hesitates. No differentiation, especially in Greek. It is a hard language to learn anyway, but the lack of using alternative methods like projects or theater or games is a big downfall.

Posted: October 24, 2013

i love the school, it the first year for my daughter there and she love it too , high academy , lovely and friendly teacher ,staff too

Posted: October 24, 2013

Socrates focuses on high achievement through trackable individual progress year over year. Students are in Greek immersion for language and matematics 2 periods a day. The small class size & dedicated teaching staff makes Socrates second to none. Socrates has very little turn over as a charter school because of the tight-knit community. The best way Socrates could improve would be to take their concept from kindergarten to graduation by adding a high school.

Posted: October 24, 2013

We were attracted to Socrates Academy because it is a semi Greek immersion school, focusing on reading, writing, and mathematics taught through the use of the Socratic Method. Small class sizes, uniforms, and no tuition were an added bonus in our eyes. I still remember the day our son got in through the lottery. I was shaking with excitement and told my husband, "We can never say we don't have good luck!". It has been a few years since that day in February, two children there, and we are all happy as ever. This school is more than just a place to "house" children during the day. It is a community, an extended family. With all families committing to volunteer a minimum of 36 hours a year towards the needs of the school. I am remind of the lyrics from the TV show "Cheers"', when thinking of Socrates. Sometimes you do want to go where everybody knows your name. More importantly, the faculty all know my children, and not for the wrong reasons. Being an Honor School of Excellence proves that in the few, short years the school has been in existence, that the methodology behind this unique program works. My children are flourishing, not just in English learning, but in Greek too.

Posted: September 10, 2013

We love SA. It worked well for both our kids one in second grade And one in seventh grade. The youngest is gifted And the eldest is special needs . SA has catered very well To the needs of both kids academically and intellectually. They do have great teachers who are able to provide Differentiated learning to all kids.

Posted: July 10, 2013

My experience with Socrates Academy has been wonderful so far. I have a rising second grader and both years my son has had awesome teachers who care about him and want to help him learn as much as he can. Everyone I have dealt with from the school has been great and I think this is a wonderful environment for my son. There is a sense of community when you enter into the school. Every day there are plenty of parent volunteers helping with all kinds of activities to make this a wonderful environment. I look forward to the fall when both of my children will attend this school.

Posted: July 2, 2013

Great school! High academic standards, strong sense of community and a caring staff. We feel very fortunate that our children have the opportunity to attend such an exceptional school. Couldn't be happier!

Posted: July 2, 2013

Socrates Academy is just what we were looking for. They offer a challenging curriculum in a nurturing environment. My daughter came to Socrates Academy after 2 years at our local CMS elementary school, which (like SA) is an Honor School of Excellence. Even so, the difference is night and day. My daughter is happy and excited to go to school every day. Her classmates have been friendly and welcoming; she has never felt like the odd one out despite being new to the school. Her teachers are very caring and the differentiated learning provided in the classroom has been wonderful. When we enrolled her last June, the administration put me in touch with one of the school's Greek language teachers who tutored my daughter all summer. This teacher was incredible. When my daughter started in the fall, her new Greek language teacher and Greek math teacher could not believe she'd had no prior exposure to the language before that summer. We're delighted she has the opportunity to learn in a rich, multi-cultural environment and hope the prospective high school will be a reality by the time our all children are old enough. We love this school!

Posted: July 1, 2013

We have decided to leave this school because the administration would not enforce the anti-bullying policy. The children who have been with the school from the beginning get preference over the ones who have come in at the beginning of Middle School. They have not addressed (at all) the multiple bullying issues we have faced. I am going to the county Superintendent over these things. We had to pull our daughter out of school on the last week of 8th grade because of bullying...and her teachers supported this. Her locker was vandalized all year (they do not allow locks on them) and a wonderful teacher provided a space in her closet for my child to store her things. I copied the Board of Directors on the emails I directed at the teachers and administration, but never heard from any of them. This school may be a "school of Excellence" in academics, but beware. It was more harmful to our Middle School daughter than helpful. I cannot recommend it to anyone now.

Posted: July 1, 2013

I don't know what is going on here, but I am very upset with the quality of teaching at this school. My child had challenges this year with his literacy teacher. I kept inquiring and working with him as he just wasn't getting it, but the teacher seemed unable to help him. Finally I learn at the end of the year that not only is this her first year of teaching, she is not yet qualified to be a teacher as she just STARTED going to grad school for her masters at the beginning of the year. She has an undergrad degree in something totally non-related and never taught before, yet they let her start teaching literacy, of all things, which is critical. Who lets someone with these (lack of) qualifications be your "literacy teacher?!!" I don't think this was fair to the students, and it certainly was not how the Administration represented this teacher at the beginning of the year. The word is that she is a friend of the Administration and several board members like her so that is apparently how she got the job. I am very upset as I feel my son basically lost a year of quality instruction, and I can't help but wonder who else they let teach here due to friendships without qualifications.

Posted: July 1, 2013

This school once was a decent elementary school, but prematurely expanded into a middle school and things have declined. There are bullying problems with middle school, the Greek program is a total joke, and the board that runs the place seems more fixated on hiring family and friends than properly running this place. Once they hired well qualified teachers. Now the Greek program is a mix of qualified Greek teachers and former Greek preschool teachers who are not at all qualified to teach elementary Greek. You never know what your child will get from year to year, but they certainly aren't making the progress they should from a two hour so-called immersion program. You'll be more immersed if you hit the local Greek diner once a week than at this school. There's no supervision whatsoever of what the teachers teach in each class, so you may get a good teacher or a totally worthless one. None of the governing groups at this school get along - the board, the Administration, and their version of a PTA bicker and fight like preschoolers so nothing substantial gets done. If you have other options, run, don't walk because this place is going downhill fast

Socrates Academy

Matthews, NC 28105

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Socrates Academy

Matthews, NC 28105

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