LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD.

Some North Carolina charter schools are dominating in athletics, and those wins have sparked envy.

Because charter school enrollment isn't bound by district lines, charters draw students from larger pools than traditional high schools. That gives some an advantage to build powerhouse teams.

Until recently, the solution most often floated has involved having charters "play up" a level, meaning a 1A charter would play at the 2A level and so on. A new rule being considered by state lawmakers would require charters to play at the same level as the traditional high school that "the largest percentage" of its students would otherwise have attended.

The potential effect...