Movement Foundation acquires site for Charlotte’s next Movement School campus

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Movement Foundation, the nonprofit investment arm of Movement Mortgage, has acquired a new property it will renovate to become a future Movement School. The site, the former headquarters of the iVerify security company, is located just off I-77 between the Yorkmount, Yorkwood and Montclaire South neighborhoods. 

When completed in 2022, the property will house the fourth Movement School and will serve students and families on Charlotte's southwest side. Movement Schools are a network of public, tuition-free charter schools serving students in elementary and middle school grades. Movement Schools already operates two campuses in Charlotte — Movement School Freedom Drive (elementary) and Movement Middle School share a campus off Freedom Drive in West Charlotte, and Movement School Eastland serves kindergarten through second grade students off Central Avenue on the east side.

Movement Foundation has purchased a vacant office building to be renovated for Movement School Southwest.

With over 40,000 square feet, the proposed Movement School Southwest will, upon completion, have room for approximately 500 students. Sitting on nearly 15.5 acres, the site offers potential for a second building or building expansion. Approximately 80 net-new jobs will be created when Movement School Southwest opens its doors. Movement School Southwest will begin its charter application process later this year.

Families interested in Movement Schools are encouraged to complete this 4-question survey, which will help expansion efforts. 

Movement School history

In 2017, the first Movement School opened on Freedom Drive in west Charlotte. Movement School Freedom now serves over 500 students in grades K-5 with a waitlist of hundreds more. 

In 2020, a second school was launched, Movement School Eastland, in east Charlotte. Movement School Eastland currently serves grades K-2 and will grow to serve grades K-5. 

Earlier in 2021, Movement completed the construction of a Middle School at the Movement Freedom campus. Set to open in August 2021, the middle school will initially serve 6th-grade students and soon expand service to grades 6-8. 

Movement School Southwest will serve pre-K through first grade in 2022 with plans to expand capacity up to 5th grade in consecutive years.

"The Movement School vision has always been to serve as many students and families as possible, which means expansion is in our DNA," says Tim Hurley, executive director of education for Movement Foundation. "We have had tremendous success with the first two elementary schools and look forward to reaching a new part of the Charlotte community through Movement School Southwest."

Foundations for success

The school's early success can be attributed to both its academic and operating models. 

• Academically, Movement School bases its philosophy on the successes of Sugar Creek Charter School in north Charlotte. The curriculum is a balance of academics, life skills and character education. Students are also given enrichment times in smaller groups or one-on-one settings to address specific areas of instruction.
• Movement School operates on a system that creates a sustainable, scalable model for serving economically underserved communities. Approximately 75% of Movement School students are from economically underserved areas.
• Movement School is supported by the nonprofit Movement Foundation, which owns the real estate and pays for renovations and infrastructure. The school then leases the facilities from the foundation at a reduced cost and uses its state, per-pupil funding to cover operating costs.

About Movement School

Movement School is a network of public, tuition-free charter schools founded in 2016 to bring education and opportunity to underserved communities. Backed by the Movement Foundation, it launched its first elementary school in 2017 in west Charlotte and a second in 2020 in east Charlotte. Movement School's mission is to love and value students and their families by providing high-quality education with an emphasis on character building. For more information, visit movementschool.com.

About Movement Foundation 

Movement Foundation is the largest shareholder of Movement Mortgage. It uses dividends received from the mortgage company to acquire, renovate and seed public charter schools. It also invests in affordable housing and related projects to support community stability through homeownership. It has constructed the Movement Center nonprofit co-working space and Ophelia Garmon-Brown Community Center in west Charlotte. The foundation also sends Movement teammates on Vision Trips to developing countries where it constructs Hope Centers to provide health, counseling and faith-based services to underserved communities. To date, more than $260 million of mortgage profits have been received by Movement Foundation to invest in communities. Learn more at movementfoundation.org.