The school has bought a 12-acre site in Apex for a future high school and has a contract on a 10-acre parcel in North Raleigh for another elementary.

Thales started with a school in Wake Forest, and leaders say they'd like to build one in Cary, too.

"We've had such a delightful reception in Apex and strong support from parents," said Bob Luddy, founder and chairman. "The plan now is to get three of these schools up and running K-12. What we're doing now is trying to establish a very solid baseline. ...The idea is to set up Thales as a model school."

The school in Apex started in a temporary location in the fall of 2008 with about 60 students.

In December, it opened a $3.2 million building.

The school now has 180 students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

A high school will be needed in about three years, so Thales seized the opportunity to buy property this summer from the financially struggling Prince of Peace Episcopal Church on North Salem Street in Apex.

County records show the school paid $2 million for the property.

Thales is in the process of selling the church building to another congregation and will eventually construct a high school on the remaining acreage.

Luddy of Raleigh is president and CEO of CaptiveAire, a large manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation systems, with $200 million in annual sales.

He ran unsuccessfully for the Wake County school board in the 1990s and became a frequent critic of area public schools.

He went on to establish the popular Franklin Academy charter school in Wake Forest. But a statewide cap on charters meant that Luddy's next step was to launch private schools.

Thales [pronounced Thay-leez] puts an emphasis on academic performance and character development.

The school uses the direct instruction method, in which teachers follow scripted, fast-paced lessons and children learn through repetition.

Children follow a dress code. Tuition is $5,000 a year, and costs are kept down because schools are constructed without extras such as football fields and cafeterias. There is no bus service.

The school runs frugally and focuses on fundamentals, says Kent Misegades of Cary, a director of the Apex school.

"We don't scrimp on academics," he said. "Our teachers are paid better than in the public schools."

So far, the Apex school has outpaced its growth goals, Misegades said.

Parents say they're relieved to know a high school is on the way for Thales.

Terra Brown of Cary enrolled her daughter, Ayanna, a fourth grader, at Thales after three years at three different public schools because of Wake County's reassignment plans.

"She needed some stability," said Brown, who has become active in the school's parent-teacher organization. "It was a no-brainer for us."