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North Carolina district guide

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

A FamilyPD navigation guide for grades, attendance, graduation, school choice, CTE, Exceptional Children, Section 504, and family communication in CMS.

Visit the official CMS website ↗View family links

FamilyPD overview

Use the district site as the source of truth.

CMS families use the district website, school websites, Infinite Campus, ParentSquare, the Family Portal, and official department pages. Use ParentSquare for communication, Infinite Campus for academic monitoring, and the district site to verify policies, programs, services, and deadlines.

District pages, tools, deadlines, and policies can change. Use this guide to find the right official location, then confirm the information that applies to the student.

More district guides can be added as FamilyPD researches them.

Quick access

Official family resources

Start

CMS main website

District news, academics, families, schools, enrollment, calendars, and current announcements.

Open official resource ↗Family hub

CMS Family Portal

Browse grade-level, assessment, back-to-school, and community-learning resources.

Open official resource ↗Portal

Infinite Campus family access

Monitor grades, assignments, attendance, and other student information through the statewide system.

Open official resource ↗Messages

ParentSquare

Receive school and district communication, submit attendance notes, and manage notification preferences.

Open official resource ↗Calendar

CMS calendar

Open the district calendar and school-year scheduling information.

Open official resource ↗Grades

CMS grading plan

Review current learning and grading principles, assignment expectations, feedback, and reassessment guidance.

Open official resource ↗High school

Graduation requirements

Review credits, attendance recovery, credit recovery, transcript questions, and graduation planning.

Open official resource ↗Choice

School choice

Explore theme-based programs, schools, key dates, applications, and current choice information.

Open official resource ↗Career prep

DiscoverCTE

Explore CMS Career and Technical Education pathways and career areas.

Open official resource ↗Services

Exceptional Children

Find special-education services, parent information, Child Find, and contact resources.

Open official resource ↗Access

Section 504

Review the district’s Section 504 information, parent handbook, brochures, and contacts.

Open official resource ↗Policies

Handbooks and forms

Open the current Parent-Student Handbook, Code of Student Conduct, forms, and parent rights resources.

Open official resource ↗

Stay connected

Use Infinite Campus and ParentSquare for different purposes

Infinite Campus

CMS identifies Infinite Campus as the primary platform for grades and attendance for students in grades 3–13. Families should use it to monitor assignments, grades, attendance, and other academic information (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools [CMS], n.d.-a).

ParentSquare

CMS uses ParentSquare for district, school, grade-level, and classroom communication. Families can manage notification preferences, receive messages, and submit attendance notes (CMS, n.d.-b).

Understand grades

Look for evidence of learning and timely feedback

Prepare, rehearse, perform

The CMS grading plan states that grades should reflect intended learning outcomes and content mastery, and that students need frequent, low-risk practice, timely feedback, and additional learning opportunities (CMS, 2026).

Family questions

Ask which tasks are practice or performance evidence, what re-teaching or reassessment is available, how missing work affects the record, and whether the student understands the feedback.

Protect attendance and credits

Address barriers early

Attendance

CMS asks families to report absences and contact the school when barriers emerge. ParentSquare and Infinite Campus work together to communicate and record attendance information (CMS, n.d.-c).

Graduation planning

The CMS graduation guide encourages families to review attendance recovery, missing credits, credit recovery, course performance, and accommodations with teachers and counselors (CMS, n.d.-d).

Explore opportunity

Compare school choice and career preparation

School choice

CMS offers theme-based and other choice options with current application procedures and program information on the official School Choice site. Families should compare transportation, program design, student interests, and current requirements (CMS, n.d.-e).

Career and Technical Education

CMS reports more than 70 CTE course pathways across 16 career clusters. Families can use DiscoverCTE and school counseling to locate programs aligned with interests and career preparation (CMS, n.d.-f).

Use the FamilyPD Cybersecurity Through CTE guide →

Request support

Use the correct student-support process

Exceptional Children

CMS provides a continuum of services based on individual needs and encourages parent participation in the IEP team process. Families with concerns can contact the home school or the Exceptional Children program for evaluation information (CMS, n.d.-g).

Section 504

The CMS Section 504 page provides parent materials and district contacts. Ask the school how a concern affects access, what information is being reviewed, who will implement accommodations, and when the plan will be reviewed (CMS, n.d.-h).

Family school check-in

Questions to ask together

  1. What does the portal show for attendance, missing work, and current grades?
  2. Which upcoming dates or decisions require action?
  3. Does the student understand how the grade is calculated?
  4. Are supports, accommodations, or services being implemented as written?
  5. What course, CTE, advanced-learning, or career option should we explore next?

References

Official district sources

  1. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. (2026). 2026–2027 grading plan. View source ↗
  2. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. (n.d.-a). Family engagement and support. View source ↗
  3. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. (n.d.-b). ParentSquare information. View source ↗
  4. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. (n.d.-c). Attendance. View source ↗
  5. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. (n.d.-d). Graduation requirements. View source ↗
  6. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. (n.d.-e). School choice. View source ↗
  7. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. (n.d.-f). CMS fast facts. View source ↗
  8. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. (n.d.-g). Exceptional Children. View source ↗
  9. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. (n.d.-h). Section 504. View source ↗
  10. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. (n.d.-i). Handbooks and forms. View source ↗