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RALEIGH – When North Carolina voted in a Republican majority to the General Assembly this week, charter school advocates applauded. That's because right now, the state limits the number of charter schools to 100. But, in its top ten legislative priorities, the GOP says they will remove the charter cap.

“We had 917 applicants for about 145 slots,” says Thomas Humble with Raleigh Charter High school. “Seven-hundred-forty-six of them were freshmen.”

“When parental demand has been met, that should be the cap,” says Sen. Eddie Goodall, who is finishing out his term as a state senator while also serving as the president of the NC Alliance of Public Charter Schools.

As a charter school co-founder himself, Goodall says this public school option is necessary.

“The reason we need it, is the same reason we have a choice in restaurants,” he says. “We have the little Italian restaurant over here, we have the Chinese restaurant over here. One size doesn't fit all and parents and children aren't the same.”

Richard Vinroot is a board member of the Sugar Creek Charter School in Charlotte. He's says that school's successes are a perfect example of how these charter schools work.

“Probably in the 90 percent or so on free or reduced lunch,” says Vinroot. “So they are poor by normal standards, and most importantly, they are kids who are passing state math and reading tests at about 80 plus percent.”

The NC Public Charter School Alliance says with success stories like this, they expect if the charter school cap is lifted, North Carolina could have up to 500 charter schools within the next few years.