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CHARLOTTE — A new charter school is set to open next summer in the up and coming Wilmore neighborhood in Charlotte.

Invest Collegiate has big plans to not only transform a historic school building but also the community. A small group of educators and parents sat down one year ago to discuss the possibility of starting a charter school in Charlotte.

Invest Collegiate chairperson Antoinette Ellison said before they knew it they had done just that.

"We started putting things down on paper and then we got to the actual planning stage where we were writing this charter! It's amazing because now those thoughts and ideas and plans have actually transformed in to reality," said Ellison.

Invest Collegiate is set to open for the 2013-2014 school year next July. They have received preliminary approval from the North Carolina State Board of Education.

The plan is to hopefully transform the historic Wilmore school house built in the 1920's and bring it back to life.

Currently, a small portion of the building is being used by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for professional development.

Ellison said not only will the building be revitalized by making it a school again, but she believes it will also give a much needed boost to the neighborhood that has struggled with transitioning.

"This is a neighborhood that's really been trying to transform and I'm a native Charlottean so I know this neighborhood and it is one that's been growing and trying to make some changes and trying to really be proud because it's a historic neighborhood in Charlotte. So we thought what better place if we want to focus on transformation then start with a neighborhood like this," said Ellison.

Ellison said whether it opens in the old school house or not, Invest Collegiate will be located in the Wilmore neighborhood. Invest Collegiate will open as a Kindergarten-Sixth-grade school, with plans of adding a grade each year until they reach K-12.

Applications will start being accepted Nov. 1. They plan to have their website up and running in the next few days.